Operation: ROOKIE
by Obscuris
Summary: A little boy stumbles upon the Kids Next Door and wants to join so much. But he must go through trials and tribulations to reach that goal. Will the KND accept him? Takes place shortly after my fic Operation: MIND.
1. Default Chapter

Now loading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter One

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Rookie  
**O**btains  
**O**pportunities --  
**K**ooky  
**I**ntroductory  
**E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots  
  
Date of Completion: May 26, 2003 - November 19, 2003 (yikes!)

Disclaimer: Before you ask, I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door. Tom Warburton does. So that means I don't own any of the characters from the show. So there.

Author's Note/Credits: ROOKIE takes place very shortly after my fic Operation: M.I.N.D.; I recommend you read that first because the later chapters have spoilers. Also, as of May 23, 2004, I would like to add that at the time of this writing it was LONG before Operation: Beach/Undercover finally aired on the 21st, so there will be some things that will not be right and not part of my timeline. Thank you and have a nice reading!

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"Heh heh heh, now we got ya!" declares a trio of thuggish kids somewhere outside of school, staring down at a group of smaller, defenseless kids. "Give us all yer candy or we'll force you to!"

"Why are you doing this, you meanies!?" the small kids chorus melodramatically.

"Why? Because we are a bunch of big, mean, stupid oafs who pick on little kids for no reason other than to laugh at them! Ha ha ha ha!" the big kids chant as if reciting something from a cue card. Then they advance toward the inferiors.

"Oh, will nobody help us!?" the helpless kids cry out again melodramatically.

"There's no need to fear, Superkid is here!" rings a heroic yet childish voice from above.

The poor kid look to the short distance to see a small boy in a superheroish costume on top of the school roof, his cape flapping dramatically despite that there is little to no wind. But nonetheless they are relieved to see their savior.

"Superkid!"

"Superkid..." growl the bullies.

The hero jumps off the roof and skillfully lands on his feet. He whips his finger at his foes. "Your reign of torment is over, bad kids!" he declares in his 'heroic' tone. "So prepare to get whooped by SUPERKID!"

"Get him, get him!" orders the leader of the gang.

So the bullies charge but Superkid produces a small device with a giant toyish claw attached to it. He presses the button and the claw extends and grabs a tree branch that just so happens to be closeby. The device pulls the boy up just as the bullies dogpiles, and the gang end up falling stupidly on their faces.

Superkid laughs and retracts the claw, landing beside the pile. The bullies hop up and threaten that he'll join the little kids in the "Beat-'em-Up Line." One big guy lunges forward but Superkid nimbly manuevers out of the way. The guy ends up kissing the tree in a bad way and falls on his backside, half-conscious.

The remaining bullies charge at Superkid but Superkid uses his claw to clutch on another big guy's leg. He pulls and his opponent flips over, knocking down the last bully in the process. The last bully, the leader, becomes riled up and cracks his knuckles, dangerously stomping forward.

"Oh dear, what am I to do?" Superkid wonders in exaggerated worriness. Then he snaps his fingers and smirks, taking out a small capsule from his costume pocket. He throws it on the ground and it explodes into smoke. Coughing, vision obstructed, the leader of the group wanders around the smoky field, aimlessly throwing his fists in mid-air.

"Where are you, wimp!?" he hollers.

"Right here!"

The bully whirls around to face a shadowy form of Superkid in the smoke. He barely gets a chance to move before Superkid shoots his claw to clutch around his waist.

"Hey, let me go!"

Superkid, who somehow has greater strength than his opponent, lifts him up and swings him around like a cowboy rope. Then he tosses him away to the rest of the trash. Superkid retracts his toy-turned-weapon with a smirk.

"Let's get outta here!" yells the leader. His buddies do as told without a word and they all make a hasty retreat, never to pick on little kids again.

The children of the schoolyard cheer; those big mean jerks won't mess with them anymore! Superkid stands triumphantly, fists on his hips and smiling broadly and showing his ever-so-shiny white teeth, as his people and various fans chant his name.

"SU-PER-KID! SU-PER-KID! SU-PER-KID! SU-PER-KID!"

"You guys are safe from meanies as long as I'm around!" he declares, waving to the people.

Ah, the life of a hero. To be popular. To be liked. To be the one who teaches mean and evil people a lesson for a change.

'Like _that_ will ever happen!' inwardly grumbles the daydreamer. A little boy named Kenny Rangsey, who has short but somewhat spikish auburn hair and brown eyes (though eye color isn't always apparant in KND-style animation...). He wears a tie-dye T-shirt, black pants, and black-and-white sneakers. Kenny Rangsey is usually a little shy and sometimes even timid, but he loves action and adventure, especially on television and comic books. He also has a wish to one day become a hero or even a superhero who saves the day; it would be the least he can do to make up for his slightly bashful personality.

This new boy in town walks down the sidewalk from yet another boring, if not miserable, day of school. Boring lessons, naggy teachers, mean kids... Oh, those mean kids. The ones in his imagination were, of course, slightly exaggerated. Emphasis on slighty. He cannot believe he has to put up with them and the rest of the stuff he can't stand five days a week.

He smiles, though, as memories of his daydream flood back into his head. The charming hero who saves people from peril, who doesn't need to fear the things he fears. Kenny continuously hopes that someday his wish will come true... and that he'd able to get away from it all somehow.

'Pffhhyeah, like _that_ will ever happen,' Kenny repeats.

Kenny Rangsey doesn't feel like going home right now, so he decides to explore the new suburbia. He only explores for over half a minute before deciding that it is not too much different from his last home. Sure, the people are different and there's somewhat different activity, but otherwise it is the same as just about every typical suburbia. He almost yawns when he spies a figure in an overcoat running towards someplace in the distance carrying a large backpack.

The clothes suggests that that person is a 'stranger.' Many so-called movies shown in schools usually have strangers dressed in dark clothes, and the movie teaches that kids should not talk to them.

But curiousity gets the best of Kenny. So he decides to ignore the annoyingly frequent advice, and follows the figure. Maybe he can finally find something interesting around here.

Kenny chases the figure until he reaches the building. The stranger opens a large door and steps inside. Kenny plants his back to the wall and tiptoes toward the entrance just enough so that he can peek through the doorway.

From the inside it looks similar to a warehouse. It's somewhat dark but the early afternoon sunlight helps illuminate the building good enough. He sees a trio of similarly dressed figures surrounding a large wooden table, the most well-lighted part of the large room thanks to the skylight above. One of them is the tallest, another one is the shortest, and the last one is in-between; the medium-sized person is the one holding the backpack.

They remove their overcoats and Kenny is somewhat surprised to see that they are kids. "Big kids" in Kenny's eyes. What could they be doing? He tiptoes inside and hides behind some random boxes to get a better view of the trio.

"You got the stuff?" the tall boy asks the boy with the backpack.

"Yeah." He unzips the pack and takes out three things that look sorta like medium-large firearms but with a slingshot attached to each of them.

'What's this, some sort of school project?' Kenny wonders internally.

The medium-sized boy unzips another part of the backpack revealing bags full of small-sized water balloons. Lots of them. They insert some of the balloons inside their apparent weapons and they lock and load.

"This is gonna be great!" says the medium.

"Yeah, we're gonna drench those little shrimps so bad a tidal wave would seem like a little droplet!" exclaims the short kid.

"Yep, and then we'll get the principal 'n' teachers to give the free side orders during lunch to us bigger kids while the babies get _nothin'_! We'll rule schools everywhere!"

Big kids ruling all schools? That is definitely _not_ good. That means the smaller, often nicer kids will be picked on forever and nothing will be done about it! Kenny would have to put up with it forever and ever!

"Hey, that's not very nice!" he blurts out way too loudly. He catches himself but not in time.

"Well, lookie here!" the medium one sneers. "We have ourselves a snoop."

"What's he doing here?" the shortest one demands.

"Probably to tattletale on us."

"Well, we certainly can't let the shrimp do that, now can we?" the tallest one smirks.

"Nope, can't," smirks the medium-sized boy. "You know what to do with snoopin' shrimps, right, boys?"

"Right!" his partners chorus, and they begin to advance.

Kenny is so badly frightened that he finds himself frozen in place. This is definitely not like his daydream where he defeated mean kids just like them with little effort. He's not in costume and he doesn't have powers, he doesn't have gadgets, and he doesn't have a cool, superheroish voice. He abandons all hope and he closes his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

But the awaiting beatdowns do not come. Instead he hears random sounds of obstacles being knocked over and shattering glass, with the foes shouting a surprised "What the!?"

Kenny opens his eyes and gawks at the spectacle before him. Five kids his age stand before the bullies in a semicircle formation. The things they are holding are quite unusual. All but one of them are armed with weapons that look like combinations of... household/everyday items. He has no idea whether this is an out-of-schoolyard fight or a very wacky school project in disguise. Whatever it is he is grateful for these newcomers' arrival.

"We are not letting you get away with making the lives of those smaller than yourselves miserable!" declares the bald-headed boy wearing sunglasses.

"Oh yeah?" laughs the medium foe.

"Yeah! Kids Next Door, BATTLESTATIONS!"

Kenny Rangsey once again finds himself gawking as he watches the opposing forces engage in a quite interesting battle that looks like something out of an action cartoon. Nevertheless Kenny escapes the fray by running back to his hiding spot, looking over the intriguing fight.

Also interesting and amazing to see is what look like lasers firing from the weapons of the sunglasses boy (whom Kenny hears one of them call "Numbuh One") and the girl with the red cap ("Numbuh Five"). They seem to be the main ones because they are giving out the most commands.

The chubby boy in goggles (called "Numbuh Two" by his comrades) is strapped with a gumball machine of some sort. Pulling the trigger he shoots out, well, gumballs, getting the sticky substance all over the enemies' faces and hair. The boy smirks and comments that those three are in quite a sticky situation, to which the dark-skinned girl groans and says how lame that is. 'I don't know,' thinks Kenny, 'I thought that line was kinda funny.'

The Asian girl with long black hair ("Numbuh Three") shoots teddy bears with what looks like a half bazooka while wearing a cheerful smile. She dances around as if in a ballet whenever an enemy lunges at her, leaping around gracefully and generally being all bubbly, before proceeding to whack them behind their back with her arsenal. Kenny can't help but smile at her antics.

And then there's the one called "Numbuh Four," that blonde boy with the Australian accent. Kenny can already tell that Four is a wild one even though he is unarmed. He rushes and pounces, snarling like a lion whose territory was invaded. It's like something ticked him off and these bullies must have chosen the wrong day to instigate him. When he is done with them he manages to secure the weapons that would definitely give little or weaker kids a very hard life.

Soon enough the trio of baddies are no longer able to fight. Panicking, they holler, "Let's get outta here!" and make their quick getaway. The team of five stand triumphantly watching the bad three run.

Kenny, still amazed, crawls out of his spot and approaches the five securing the abandoned weapons. Unable to contain himself any longer, Kenny blurts all:

"WOW! You guys were amazing, I mean you were incredible, I mean you were beating them down like, woo! And where did you get these cool gadgets, how'd you get them to do all that cool stuff, 'cause they were totally awesome and--"

"Whooooa, slow down, man," says Numbuh Five holding her hand up.

"S-Sorry," says Kenny sheepishly. "Thanks for saving me."

"You're very welcome," Numbuh One states, his British accent obvious. "But what are you doing here? Not only could you have gotten yourself hurt, but you could have also hurt the mission."

"Mission?"

"Yeah!" says Numbuh Four frowning. "We were scoopin' those blokes out 'cause we heard 'bout their plot. We were gonna watch them a little longer to see if they were gonna say anythin' else, 'til you came in and screwed ev'rything up."

"Oh," says Kenny, feeling down. "Sorry."

"Not to worry," Numbuh One says, adjusting his shades. "I don't think they will try that again anytime soon now that they have had the pleasure of meeting us. Now, whoever you are, run along. We will stick here to see if there is anything else of interest."

"But wait, who are you guys? Where'd you get those... thingies of yours?"

"This may not be the right time to tell you; I think you've had enough excitement for one day. I recommend you go on home before you get into further trouble."

So Kenny slowly nods and does as told, walking away from the scene. From their actions it may not be a good idea to annoy them. Especially Numbuh Four.

"C'mon, let's check these babies out," says an excited Numbuh Two. If there is one thing Hoagie P. Gilligan, Jr. loves it's techno gear. He can already imagine having fun converting the big kids' gear into Two-by-Four Technology weaponry.

"Awww, come on, Numbuh One, we coulda told 'em we're the Kids Next Door!" says the high-pitched Numbuh Three as the others scope out the place.

"Yes, but you know that we can't tell just anybody. Didn't you see how excited he was? He could have blabbed about us to his school. What if the teachers and the principal hear? They might increase security to keep us or other Kids Next Door operatives from interfering in whatever dire plans they execute."

"I guess you're right..." sighs the girl. 'But we could have made a new friend,' she says internally.

'That was AWESOME!' thinks Kenny as he walks down the street back to his neighborhood. 'Finally I found some excitement around here! Boy, just wait till the kids at school hear about this! But darn, they'd never believe me...'

Shrugging it off, Kenny makes his way towards home. But then he stops. He hasn't finished exploring the entire suburbia yet. It's getting to the late afternoon but he can still stay out for a while. So he decides to look around some more.

Like before, nothing much of interest. He begins to reconsider his decision. But that's when he makes a discovery. A huge discovery.

Kenny's mouth gapes as he looks into the distance to find a large tree sticking out of a house. Many things seem to stick out of the tree such as a ship, a satellite at the top, and more.

'It must be a treehouse,' thinks Kenny. 'That's the weirdest treehouse I've ever seen. How can it just be inside a regular house like that? Must be hard to move around in there. Wow. I'm really starting to like this new place.'

Curious Kenny runs toward the house and knocks on the door. No answer. He rings the doorbell. Still no answer.

"Guess they're not home," Kenny concludes. But darn, he wants to see the inside of the treehouse so badly. He looks up at the tree again and places a finger on his lip. "Maybe I can take a peek inside and come back out. Nobody will even know I was in there."

He looks around and finds the drainpipes. He goes over to it and climbs up. He jumps on the roof, but a bit nervously; he hasn't been this high up since he doesn't know when. He glances up at the tree. Then, taking a deep breath, he scales the mighty treehouse. He marvels at the way it is decorated. Somebody went through a lot of trouble making the treehouse look so impressive.

Eventually he finds a walkway and jumps unto it. He finds a door that has "KND" painted on it. 'KND?' Kenny wonders. 'What does that stand for?'

Kenny enters the room and is amazed to see the contents. Not only does it have a nice view of the outside, but the room also has a few of what look like computers or control panels at the sides. Little monitors are hooked above each one. At the center of the room is a perfectly round hole in the floor. The ends are raised so that people can probably sit on it. At the center of the hole is a car tire, and a long camera or projector is hanging at the ceiling pointing directly above the tire. At the end of the room is a short wooden platform, with a podium in the middle. Both the podium and the wall at the far end has "KND" painted in yellow. The floor is made of a very strong and sturdy wood. They seem to be 2x4-like.

And he thought the outside of the treehouse looked sweet. He saw more doors or doorways leading to more places in the treehouse while he was in the walkway, so it's certainly a big place; it's like someone can live in it.

Suddenly his ears perk up when he hears a distant sound. It sounds like something landing... like an aerial vehicle. 'Probably an airplane,' muses Kenny. 'But why would an airplane land in the middle of the neighborhood like this?'

But his heart almost skips a beat when he hears familiar voices. And they're coming this way!

Kenny bites his nails nervously. 'Gotta hide, gotta hide, gotta hide!' He is fortunate that conveniently there is a large closet nearby. So he dives in, leaving it slightly ajar so he can look on.

Kenny's eyes stare in interest when the same five kids from before enter. This must be their treehouse. Maybe he'll get some answers, especially why they are called by 'Numbuhs.'

"Man, those guys sure had a lot of those!" the girl named Numbuh Five comments.

"Yeah!" says the chubby boy named Numbuh Two. "It's a good thing we stopped them when we did. Little kids would have been tormented forever."

"Yes," nods Numbuh One, that kid wearing sunglasses. "But thanks to us, the Kids Next Door, they are safe."

'The Kids Next Door,' Kenny says inwardly. 'At least now I know what 'KND' stands for. But who exactly are these guys?'

"Yap!" says the wild blonde boy, Numbuh Four. "Now's time to sit back and reeeelax!"

"Numbuh Five's got the same ide-ya!" smiles the dark girl, snapping her fingers.

Now these... Kids Next Door are walking out of his limited field of vision. Kenny tries to get a better look at them by leaning in closer, but he accidently trips on something and nearly falls against the door. But that was enough noise to alert the others.

"What was that!?" Numbuh Two exclaims. Beads of sweat form on Kenny's forehead as he hears their footsteps coming his way. He ducks as if that's going to do anything for him. Next thing he knows, the door swings wide open and the Kids Next Door stare at him cowering down with his hands behind his head.

The Kids glare down at him, except Numbuh Three who seems a little ecstatic.

Kenny looks up and smiles nervously and sheepishly at them and laughs stupidly.

"Heh... heh... um, hi guys. Er... nice place."

Numbuh Three smiles broadly. "Thanks!"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter Two

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Two

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunies - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots

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In the living room -- not the central command center where the Kids Next Door do their meetings, but the actual living room with sofas and couches and a hanging big screen monitor (TV) and stuff (look at the episode Q.U.I.E.T.) -- of the Kids Next Door's Treehouse Headquarters, Numbuhs Two/Five and Three/Four sit in pairs on separate sofas. They watch the leader Numbuh One pace around the nervous intruder sitting on a tall beanbag-like chair. Somehow the leader's slow, calm pace makes the detained boy even more nervous. He fiddles with his fingers, frantically wondering what the Kids Next Door are going to do to him.

"So, you're new to town and decided to play adventure, am I right?" Numbuh One demands in his strong British accent.

Kenny nods timidly. "Yes."

"Mm-hm, and during your game of exploring you happened upon our Treehouse, yes?"

"Yes."

"And you thought you had the right to infiltrate into a place that does not belong to you, nor does it have anything to do with you in the first place."

"Yes... I mean no!" Kenny shakes his head quickly.

Now Numbuh One gets into his face, speaking to him in a greater demanding tone. "Who are you? Are you a spy sent by the enemy!?"

"Spy? Enemy? What?" Kenny mumbles, confused.

"Don't play dumb," Numbuh Four upbraids, jumping out of his seat. "We know you were sent by them to spy on us!"

" 'Them'? Them who!?" Kenny rambles, panicky. "I don't know any 'them,' I don't know who exactly you people are, I don't know the things you do, and... ugh, I don't know what I'm really doing here in the first place! I promise you that!"

"Numbuh One, I think he's telling the truth," Numbuh Three says softly. Numbuhs Two and Five nod in agreement. Even Numbuh Four considers this.

Numbuh One pauses for a long time. Kenny gets slightly annoyed at the silence and decides to have his questions answered, and answered _now_.

"Just who are you guys?"

Numbuh One looks over his shoulder for a moment. His friends shrug and wave their hands, telling him to go on. Numbuh One sighs and moves away from the intruder's face. He adjusts his sunglasses, then folds his arms behind his back, clearing his throat and furrowing his brows.

"We are the Kids Next Door. We fight for kids' rights and for their freedom from the tyrannical forces known as... adults. I am confident you have had tastes of their constant torment. The way the ice cream man intentionally passes you by and laughs as you stand there confused; the way they tear you away from many television shows because they think you as a kid 'cannot handle it at all,' even though they constantly display their own immaturity; the way they continuously insult your intelligence; the way they force you into a horrible building filled with many other people you may not like, or may even hate..."

"Tchyeah, don't I know it..." Kenny says solemnly.

"Some adults take their oppression too far. Two of them are Mr. Fibb and Mr. Wink, who once extended adult swim so long that kids would never have time in the pool. Another is the Proper Patrol, who used to come out of nowhere to force very uncomfortable formal clothing on us, but they have been disbanded. Then there was an evil scientist who was bent on forever ridding of 'snow days' from school. That is why we, the Kids Next Door, exist: to do everything we can to stop their evil and save kids everywhere from their tyranny."

"And... all those gadgets you guys used back there?"

"Those 'gadgets' are part of the technology the Kids Next Door use. We call it Two-by-Four Technology, since most of our weapons and hi-tech equipment are combinations of 2x4 wood and everyday items. We sometimes even manage to snag 'real' hi-tech equipment, but we prefer making new equipment from our own resources."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on," Kenny interrupts, having a little too much new information to take in, "you _Kids_ Next Door have your very own technology?"

"Yyyyep!" smiles Numbuh Two proudly.

"All right then... If you're against school and you have your own stuff, how do you all get the money and power to run all this, as well as learn new things?" asks Kenny, making a motion to indicate 'everything.'

Numbuh One: "Other kids."

Numbuh Two: "Internet."

Numbuh Three: "Books."

Numbuh Four: "TV."

Numbuh Five: "Magazines."

Numbuh One: "The Kids Next Door have their own bank account."

Numbuh Three: "Hamsters run the power here."

Kenny scratches his head. "Okaaayyy. So... you guys _do_ have names, right?"

"Of course. A-Ahem," Numbuh One wipes the lens of his shades with his shirt and puts them back on. "I am Nigel Uno, but as a Kid Next Door I am addressed as Numbuh One." He holds up an index finger for emphasis.

Numbuh Two smirks and makes a peace sign. "Hoagie P. Gilligan, Jr. is the name; Numbuh Two is my codename. Mechanical genius at your service!"

The bubbly girl smiles sweetly and holds up three fingers from under her long sleeves. "I'm Kuki. But they call me Numbuh Three here."

The tough fighter makes a peace-like sign with both hands, except he uses his index and pinky fingers. "Yo, I'm Wallabee, otherwise known as Numbuh Four. And ya better rememba it, or else!"

Kenny gulps. No way he wants to experience Numbuh Four's ferociousness for himself.

The red capped girl doesn't do much except lean back and hold her hand up like a high-five. "I be Numbuh Five, real name Abigail Lincoln, though I pr'fer Abby. An' stealthy tactics is my game!"

The boy simply scratches behind his head, blinking a couple of times at these strange yet ultra cool kids. "Okay. And I'm... just Kenny Rangsey," he mutters, feeling a little down that he doesn't have anything cool to say about himself.

"Nice to meetcha, Kenny!" waves the Asian girl sincerely. Kenny waves back shyly.

The commander of the team pauses for a second to see if the newcomer is taking all this in. Then he continues. "All right... Kenny. There is a lot more, but I think we have told you enough. Now, you have to promise us you won't say anything about the Kids Next Door at your school."

"Awwwwwwww!" whines Kenny, disappointed. He would have become the most popular kid in school if they were to find out that he met a semi-secret organization of kids fighting against adults!

"Sorry Kenny, but I think you know why."

He knows why all right, at least he thinks he does. Obviously most teachers and other adults won't like anything about this, and may keep their guard up stronger than before, which wouldn't be good for these agents. Then there are the 'goody-goody' type of kids who would do anything adults tell them to. Oh well. That's one chance at being cool shot down.

"Well," Kenny looks to the windows to see the outside changing into the colors of sunset, "I have to go home anyway. Mom's probably getting worried." Then he turns to them and sighs with a smile, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Man, to be a Kid Next Door, doing all this stuff that _I've_ always wanted to do for so long. That kind of life must be great for you guys."

"Yeahhhh, though not everything goes too great all the time..." Numbuh Five says solemnly with her and Numbuhs Two, Three and Four paying extra attention to Numbuh One, who nods in agreement. But Numbuh One's shades shield curious eyes staring into Kenny Rangsey.

"I guess so, but it still has to be a lot better than _my_ life," Kenny replies with equal solemn. Then he smiles a little, waving at them. "Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut 'bout you guys. See ya later... or maybe not."

"Bye-bye, Kenny!" Numbuh Three waves again. Perhaps today is the day they find a new friend after all.

The other operatives, except Numbuh One, share their goodbyes their own way before Kenny leaves out the way they came -- he saw the exit of their headquarters when they detained him.

Numbuh One scratches under his chin, looking out the direction Kenny left. Then he looks to his friends. Then at Kenny, then back again. He takes a deep breath before beginning:

"Hey... guys... um..."

Numbuh Two can already see what's coming and he sits up. "You can't really be serious..." he says, his mouth nearly gaping.

But the leader removes his sunglasses, showing to everyone his eyes. Eyes that automatically inform them that he _is_ very serious.

Numbuh Four immediately shakes his head in disbelief. "No way, no bloody way! _Him_!? I mean, just look at him!"

"I looked at him all right," the commander says seriously, replacing his sunglasses, "and I can tell he has some potential. I can sense great determination within him. Enough determination to actually _want_ to live this kind of life."

"Are you sure about this, Numbuh One?" the mechanic asks. "I mean, he still hardly knows much about the Kids Next Door, let alone how to fight and everything."

"I am very sure. And we can teach him the ways of our organization. Remember, we were all rookies once."

"Betta rookies than Kenny would eva be," grumbles Four, crossing his arms. It isn't that he doesn't like Kenny or anything like that. He just doesn't like it when people get in his way while he's on a fighting rampage. Numbuh One slows him down enough with his orders; now he has to babysit some newbie, too?

"I say we let Kenny Rangsey be a Kid Next Door," says the dark-skinned girl, leaning back on the couch pillow almost lazily. She just as lazily sets her feet on Numbuh Two's legs like a footboard, much to his slight annoyance. "Numbuh Five senses he can do some good, too. 'Sides, Numbuh Five can't help but feel a little sorry for him. She thinks he might've had it a little rough, and this could be his sanctuary."

"Hm, you got a point there," agrees Numbuh Two.

"I still don't know about this..." says the reluctant Numbuh Four.

"Awww, come on! Please, Numbuh Four!" begs Numbuh Three, with big, cutesy eyes and a wide, innocent smile. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeze?"

Oh, no... The Big Cute Eyes attack! It is one of the most hard-to-resist tactics in the book, especially when it comes from cute little bubbly girls like Numbuh Three. The Aussie boy turns away and closes his eyes to fight it, but his body refuses to obey, his head turning back around and his eyes slowly opening up to gaze into Three's own.

'No, I must fight it!' Four tells himself. And he almost does... until Three's smile fades into that of a whimper.

That did it. The boy stops struggling internally and sighs defeatedly. "Awright, awright, he can join us."

"YAAAAAAAAYYYY!!" squeaks the girl, hugging her friend gratefully and dancing around with him as her reluctant partner.

"Hey, lemme go!"

"Kenny's gonna join us! Kenny's gonna join us! Kenny's gonna join us!" sings the jubilant girl.

"Don't get too excited yet, Numbuh Three," Numbuh One tells her. "He still has to say yes. And even if he does, there's still the issue with his mother and/or father."

He presses a hidden button in his boots, igniting the jets.

"I'm going to go find him. Numbuh Five, you are in charge until I return."

With that, Numbuh One flies out a window that is conveniently opened. Moments after he disappears from the scene, Numbuh Two tries to move Five's legs away from his so he can stand up but Numbuh Five snaps her fingers.

"Hey, you stay right there. Numbuh Five's dogs are killin' her, an' you're their perfect restin' spot."

The pilot stays put and grumbles, unsure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult...

* * * * *

Kenny Rangsey sighs as he reaches his suburban household.

"Well, back to boring ol' normal life," he sighs. It's too bad. The Kids Next Door were the coolest people he has ever met, and the things they do... wow.

Shaking his head to tell himself it's over now, Kenny starts his way toward the door, when he hears something in the distance. Looking over, he gasps as he spots Numbuh One flying towards him in what he now believes are jet boots.

"Wow, Nigel! I didn't know your shoes are jet-propelled!" says an impressed Kenny as Numbuh One lands beside him.

"Why, yes, they are," he replies, trying to resist smirking proudly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I am here to give you an offer."

"An offer?" Kenny's curiousity perks up.

"Yes. You see, after you left our headquarters, I've been thinking: 'What would it be like if this new person turns from a normal kid into one of us?' "

"Wh... What do you mean?" Now Kenny's excitement perks up, as if already knowing what Nigel is going to say.

"Kenny, you have a lot of potential, I can sense it. You seem really determined to fight against the people and things that have tormented you mentally and perhaps physically. And, from looking deep into your eyes, you seem reluctant to go back to your current life. So what do you say, Kenny? Do you want to become a Kid Next Door?"

"Whoa, you mean it!? Me? A _Kid Next Door_!?"

"Yes. But there are some very important things you would need to know." Numbuh One states it in a tone that says 'You better listen and listen good, because I'm serious about this one.'

"First, since we are a group of _anti-adult_ fighters, it is best not to associate with adults. There are some exceptional grown-ups, such as our parents, but you still must be careful. Any adult can be a dangerous threat to us.

"Second, as a Kid Next Door, you are to no longer attend school; even if your friends are there. That is obviously the breeding ground of evil adults. Do not worry about them wondering where you disappeared to-- We have a way to take care of things like that.

"And third... Kids Next Door operatives can _not_ live with their parents. They must either live on their own or with other operatives in their own headquarters."

Kenny absorbs this all slowly and carefully to make sure he doesn't miss anything. He can do the don't associate with adults thing okay. And he doesn't have any 'friends' in school anyway. But the last one... How can he not be allowed to live with his mother? Sure, she's an adult and all, but... he loves his mother. 'But I guess sacrifices have to be made to be a Kid Next Door,' Kenny thinks. 'I guess not living with Mom anymore is one of them. Nigel and the others had to have gone through the same thing.'

He looks toward his home. What would his mother say if he tells her he is 'moving out'? Should he say anything at all? Should he ditch home now?

The red-shirted one studies Kenny's features musingly and nods. "I know; it is a very tough decision to make."

"My Mom... Wh... what should I say to her? I can't just ditch her; she would worry sick about me. She might even try to search for me, and that could be bad for both her and us."

"Then, you just might have to tell her about... us. Explain it to her as best as you can. Who knows, she might understand; my mother did, and so did the others' parents, as far as I know. If your mother doesn't, I don't know what we can do for you then. But if you _really_ want to become a Kid Next Door, then... run away from home, if you have to." He smirks but still retains his serious tone. "After all, disobeying adults is part of being a Kid Next Door..."

[A/N: I don't know if Numbuh One has a father or not; I've only heard his mother in the episode C.A.N.N.O.N., but we never saw her either...]

"Take all the time you need to think about it, Kenny," he continues as he ignites his jet boots. "You know where to find us." With that he blasts away back to the Treehouse.

Kenny looks after him then at his house. He sighs and walks to the door. He gives his house a good, long look. This could be the last time he'll ever see it...

* * * * *

Dinnertime at the Rangsey household is unusually quiet. Especially for Ms. Rangsey. Her waist-length, dark brown hair is tied in a ponytail, and she sports a light blue shirt and darker blue slacks, with dark shoes to match. At first glance, one would think this mid- to late-20's woman is a bit of a tomboy, and she is. Although she appreciates romance and such, just like her son she also loves to see good guys and bad guys kicking butt, whether it's on television or in a book. She has a habit of brightening (or, in some cases, darkening) one's day with her witty and smart-alecky 'humor,' and that is to both Kenny's relief and to his annoyance.

Ms. Rangsey stares into her son, wondering why he isn't touching his mashed potatoes and peas. He is one of the rare kids who doesn't mind vegetables. So why isn't he eating? 'Perhaps it's my cooking...,' she muses. But mother instincts tell her something very important is running through her little boy's mind.

She wants to find out what. But she can't just blurt out her question out of the blue. She has to start out casual... wear him down gradually without seeming aggressive.

"So, sweetie, how was your day?" she asks as casually as possible.

"Oh, um... pretty good, I guess," shrugs Kenny, playing with his food using his fork.

"Pretty good? My, you don't usually say that. Most times you go," and she says this in a mockery of Kenny's voice, " 'Wah-wah, the teacher gave us homework again! Booo, recess was cut short 'cause of a fire drill! Aw man, I almost embarrassed myself in class again!' "

"Mommm...." grumbles her son, annoyed.

"Hey, it's the truth," she laughs. "I'm glad to hear you had a good day in your new school for a change. Anything in particular happen?"

"Um... well..."

This is it. It's now or never. Kenny takes a deep breath, and explains quickly:

"WhenIcamehomefromschoolIranintothesebullieswhoweregonnadosomethingbad  
andthentheycaughtmeandweregonnabeatmeupwhentheKidsNextDoorrescuedme  
thenIfoughttheirheadquartersandIgotcaughtthereandthentheleadersaidI  
canjoinandIwannajoinrealbadand..."

"WHOOOOOA, slow down, young man!" says Ms. Rangsey. "Now, explain it to me again, slowly."

So Kenny tells her his story from the time he came from school to the moment Nigel Uno offered him to be a Kid Next Door like him and his friends, minus the... important rules.

"The Kids Next Door, huh? I think your father told me something about them when you were really little."

"He did?"

"Yes, he did. Pretty much how you described: A rebellious organization of children fighting against adults. They have their own technology and everything. And let me guess, you want to join them?"

"H... How did you know?"

"Simple. I'm your mommy," she smirks. Then she turns serious again. "Now, I still don't know too much about the Kids Next Door. Care to tell me more?"

"Okay. Um, like I said, they fight against adults, especially the really bad ones, they use their own technology, and they somehow get their own money. They use 'Numbuhs' as their codenames; that's N-U-M-B-U-H, not N-U-M-B-E-R."

"You told me those parts already," she says, studying him carefully. "Is there something you _don't_ want to tell me, Kenny?"

'Here it comes... the big ones,' Kenny tells himself. He takes another deep breath, and continues.

"Well, on my way home from the Treehouse, Nigel Uno--Numbuh One--told me that there are some very important things that I would need to know."

"Like?"

"Like... Kids Next Door operatives recommend not to associate with adults, with some exceptions, like parents. But since any adult can be a dangerous threat, I would still gotta be careful around one.

"Also, a Kid Next Door should not go to school anymore."

"Are you saying that they're... drop-outs?" she wonders, raising an eyebrow. "Kenny, I know that the Kids Next Door come up with their own ways to learn new things, but dropping out of school?"

"The Kids Next Door have ways of taking care of stuff like that. So don't worry!"

"Mmmm."

"And here's the biggest rule of 'em all. A Kid Next Door cannot live with their parents."

"What...?"

"Yeah. They either must live on their own or live with other operatives in a headquarters. I think it makes sense. I mean, if you were part of an anti-adult organization, would you still want to live with your parents and do everything you're told, when you're against that stuff in the first place? So, if I were to become a Kid Next Door, I may not be here much anymore... if at all."

Ms. Rangsey lets out a long sigh and shakes her head. "Not living with your own mother anymore..."

"I know, Mom, I don't want to leave you, either. But if that's one of the things I have to do to become a Kid Next Door, then... I'll do it."

"I still don't know, Kenny," says Ms. Rangsey as calmly as possible. "I mean, children _fighting_ against adults? Dropping out of school? Moving away from parents? I can't let my baby be part of a... a... delinquent society!"

"The Kids Next Door are _NOT_ delinquents, Mom!" he snaps. "And I am not a little baby anymore!"

"You're going to use that tone of voice against me, young man?" Ms. Rangsey demands, her calm demeanor starting to dissipate.

"Yes I am!" he replies sharply, taking his mother aback.

The young mother sits there stunned for a moment. Then, as she begins to rise from her seat, she says sternly, "Now listen, Ke--"

But Kenny jumps out of his, whipping his finger toward her. "No, YOU listen! All my life I was shy, quiet, even sometimes a bit of a scaredy-cat, I'll admit. It's because of this that I thought I could _never_ do something good out there! I thought I could never have friends; I thought I could never be able to teach bad people a lesson; I thought I could never even make myself actually happy! I mean _real_ happy, not recess happy!

"That is, until I met the Kids Next Door. They... they are everything I've always wanted. They have friends all around, they fight against bad kids and especially bad grown-ups, and they still have _fun_ while they're at it. And they seem to enjoy it too, unlike what most grown-ups would say about their 'jobs.'

"Sure, it's kids vs. adults, and maybe the kids are a little bad for fighting against them, but you know what? Adults are bad themselves, if not worse. No, they ARE worse. All they seem to care about is money and war, killing or even murdering other people for stupid reasons: Wanting to look good on TV; a difference in opinions or beliefs; to get someone else's natural resource; to get someone's clothes... CLOTHES!! And what about some of the grown-ups who make life miserable for little kids? Trying to take away snow days forever; trying to take away their fun for no particular reason; constantly finding ways to keep them from seeing important stuff and forcing them to read cookie-cutter books or watch lame-o, corny 'educational' shows that do nothing but make it seem like the world is all merry, when it's NOT! And then there are those grown-ups who do things far, far worse to kids... There are rarely any good grown-ups in this world anymore."

Sad yet angry tears leak out of Kenny's eyes, but he continues.

"Perhaps that is why the Kids Next Door formed. To not only fight against grown-ups, 'specially ones who do those terrible things, but to have a shot at bringing some form of peace to this world. Something 'important' adults keep promising but NEVER DO; always turning back around and doing all the things I just said, those liars. With the Kids Next Door, _perhaps_ adults might actually learn something. And even though a Kid Next Door may someday... grow up... at least they will be a good adult who will continue to try to keep this planet peaceful. So I'm going to be a Kid Next Door, to fight against evil people and finally having some kind of purpose out there, and that's _final_; whether you like it or not!"

With that declaration, he whirls away from his mother, his face stained with tears, and storms to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Ms. Rangsey sits there... stunned, amazed, surprised... all sorts of emotions course through her body. She is not sure whether to be this or that or this _and_ that. One thing she _is_ sure of though; Kenny certainly wasn't his usual self that moment. Usually he is quiet and semi-unconfident with himself. Yet there he was, speaking his mind without a care about the consequences. She smiles a little, a proudness in her son growing stronger than before.

She contemplates Kenny's entire speech for a long, long time. Then she looks to a nearby framed portrait of her husband, smiling his cool, confident smile with eyes that reveal a certain something that explains where Kenny had gotten what his wife has seen in their son. She turns away from the picture with a deep sigh and shakes her head.

* * * * *

Kenny Rangsey stuffs the rest of his clothes into his large briefcase and shuts it tight. Then he proceeds with his personal possessions, such as his comics and games ('They'd have to have game systems up there, right?' he thinks) and... his Supersockem Girls 'action figures.' A cartoon show he secretly loves to watch but would not admit to liking it, for obvious fear of embarrassment. He opens up another briefcase and puts them all in there.

He pauses when he comes to a picture of his family. His mother, his father, and himself when he was little. He sighs. Even though he hardly knew his father, him not being here makes him a little sad, especially for his mother. 'Oh Mom... what have I done to you?' he says inwardly, regret filling his heart. He carefully puts the picture in his briefcase and shuts it.

Finished. With almost everything gone it looks like a ghost room in here. He takes a breath and proceeds to open the window.

"I'm sorry, Mommy... But... I have to do this. Not just for me. Not just for other kids. But for you as well..."

"Perhaps I'm the one who should be apologizing."

Startled, he whirls around to find his mother at the door. He expects her to be glaring dangerously at him, but instead she's... smiling.

Thinking this could be some kind of trick, he quickly snatches his briefcases, albeit with some difficulty. But he won't let that stop him from escaping through the window.

"Where are you going? Certainly my baby's not thinking of walking all the way up there carrying those heavy things?"

"I'll manage," he says softly.

"But I think it would be better if I drive you there myself."

Kenny halts right there in his tracks. He slowly turns around, facing his mother, and looks at her strangely.

"You know," Ms. Rangsey begins, walking towards her only child, "that father of yours always wanted to fight for what he believed in, too, and he wouldn't let anything stop him. And you know what? That's one of the major things I loved about him. I thought you didn't inherit his stubbornness, but I guess you did get a little of it."

"Oh, Mom... I'm sorry I yelled at you," says Kenny sadly, a tear sliding down his cheek.

"No, it's okay. You are right; we do live in a crazy world run by crazy adults. It's like children appear more mature and maybe even smarter than they are. If the Kids Next Door can really do the things you say, then I would really love to see that. Seeing you happy is what I really care about, and if the Kids Next Door can really make you happy, then I shouldn't get in the way, huh?"

"You... you mean...!?"

She smiles sincerely. "It's eating me alive like a flea eats a dog, but... yes."

Kenny stands there, shocked and yet very ecstatic. He doesn't know what to say... except...

"You're the bestest Mommy ever."

Dropping his briefcases like yesterday's news he jumps into his mother's arms, hugging her tight. She smiles and does the same, kissing his little forehead.

"I'll miss you, though," she says sincerely.

"I'll miss you, too."

"Actually, I meant I'm going to miss you calling me the greatest," she smirks. Kenny looks at her and she responds with a 'just kidding' wink. Kenny shakes his head and sighs.

"I'm _really_ gonna miss you, Mom..."

* * * * *

Later that night, at the Treehouse living room...

"Come on, baldie! Do it!" Numbuh Four shouts to the large flathead monitor television. "Give Derick Mishoff that move of yours!"

"No way, Numbuh Four," says Numbuh Five. "Mishoff will send his goons to stop that cold rock guy."

"No he won't, 'cause those other guys took care of his cronies. Uh-oh, uh-oh, here it comes... BOOM! Yeah! That'll be the last time Mishoff'll screw anybody!"

"No it won't, man," Five says with a snap of her fingers. "He always comes back. He always does."

Numbuh Two shakes his head at their antics. How can those two get so much excitement from a wrestling show? Perhaps he ought to watch it sometime and see where the magic comes from.

He stares at Numbuh One pacing around the room, waiting for... 'him.' He's been doing that ever since he came back. The mechanic worries a little; what if Kenny doesn't come back? Numbuh One could be doing this all night!

Numbuh Three, however, is zero percent worry and one-hundred percent jubilant. She hums a happy tune while playing with her Rainbow Monkey dolls. 'It'd be really nice if Kenny does join us,' she thinks. 'I think he'd make a great tea party guest.'

Wanting to ease Numbuh One's tension, and also wanting to stop his annoying pacing around, Numbuh Two goes over to him and taps on his shoulder.

"Come on, Numbuh One, he's not coming."

"I am very sure that he will come, Numbuh Two. I gave him all the time he needs."

"But you can't just stand around waiting for him. C'mon, let's eat already, I'm starving."

Numbuh One slowly nods; the team pilot is right, maybe Kenny will not come back tonight. If ever. Plus, his growling stomach convinces him he better eat, and eat now.

"All right, Numbuh Two. Go set up dinner with the usual plates for five..."

"Better make that six, Numbuh Two," comes a voice in the doorway. All eyes turn to a smirking brown-haired boy carrying two briefcases. Setting them down he casually says, "I didn't get a chance to finish mine."

* * * * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter Three

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Three

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

In the Treehouse's dining room, eating at a picnic table, Kenny Rangsey's first dinner with the Kids Next Door is a quiet one. Well, quiet if he ignores Numbuh Three's playing with her food. She skillfully nibbles her apple until a smiley face forms on it.

Speaking of which, the Kids Next Door sure have an unusual choice of dinner. Chili dogs with an apple as a "side dish," and a lollipop for a sweet. Something dinner would _never_ be like at his former home. No doubt other dinners would be similar. He cracks a smile, imagining all sorts of combinations of main and side dishes that just would not go together normally.

"So, Kenny," says Numbuh One, finally breaking the silence, "how did it go?" When Kenny asks what he means, he replies, "With your mother. How did you convince her?"

He pauses for a minute. Should he really tell them what exactly he said? He might bore them to death. That wouldn't make too much of impression on them on his first night with them. So he decides to sum it up the best way he can.

"Well, I did what you said, Nig-- Numbuh One," he replies, almost forgetting he should call the Kids Next Door by their codenames here. "I told her what you guys were all about. It took a while but I eventually got through to her. I almost ran away when I thought she would never let me join."

"Well, ya should have," smirks Numbuh Four, taking a large bite out of his chili dog. "That woulda been way cooler, and would've taught her a thing or two."

"Yeah... But I couldn't; she's a mom. Most moms have scary inner radars or something."

"Yes, tell me about it..." mutters Numbuh One, remembering one moment where his mother embarrassed him in front of his friends when she called to him in a babying tone and ruining how dramatic he would have made his "dangerous mission" (a carnival) be. "But the important thing is, Kenny, you should be able to be a Kid Next Door with hopefully no trouble at all now."

"Can I ask you something? How come you guys are still calling me by my real name? Shouldn't I get a 'Numbuh' or something now?"

"Only _official_ Kids Next Door operatives have codenames. Right now you are a trainee, and your training as a Kid Next Door will begin tomorrow. You will not become an official Kid Next Door until your training is complete and that I personally see that you are truly fit to become one."

"It's gonna be real challengin', Rookie," Numbuh Four teases. "Hope you don't wet your pants, heh heh heh!" He shuts up when a glob of chili hits him square on the nose.

"Oh, stop that, Numbuh Four!" Numbuh Three chides, wiping the little mess of the thrown chili out of her oversized sleeve. She turns to Kenny with a smile. "Don't worry, Kenny. It _will_ be a little tough but I know you can do it."

"Thanks, Numbuh Three," says Kenny, smiling a little at her while flashing a 'Ha ha, she sure got you!' look towards Numbuh Four, who crosses his arms silently with a lollipop in his mouth.

"Dere's lotsa stuff to do durin' yer training," the capped girl tells him, bringing a friendly arm around his shoulder. "You've gotta learn to fight. That includes using melee and projectile weapons... We don't fight with our fists that much, but those are 'm'portant, too." She emphasizes that by forcing his hand into a fist.

"And you gotta say cool lines!" Numbuh Two adds.

"Yyyyeah, that too. But don't learn from him, his lines _stink_," she says with a shake of her head, plugging her nose.

"They do not!" Two counters.

"I think what he said in the warehouse was kinda funny," Kenny comments with a little smile.

The team's mechanic beams. "_Finally_, someone who appreciates my creative quotes!"

Five rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

"Not only is combat important, Kenny," Numbuh One states. "You have to get used to our 2x4 technology in general. That includes vehicles, computers, devices, and more. And it is _really_ important that you remember those 'very important things' I told you about."

"Don't worry," Kenny assures them all, "I'll remember. And I don't care what it takes. I'll try my super-duper-upery best to become a Kid Next Door! You're not scaring me away from it. No sirree!"

The leader smiles. Kenny is more confident and determined than he thought. Perhaps he CAN reach his goal...

Dinner is over and normally this would be the time where Kenny would kick off his shoes, sit back on the couch, and watch something on the tube. But today's events zapped the energy out of him and he needs some shut-eye.

"So, where are the sleeping quarters in this place? I'm sleepy." Kenny asks Numbuh One as they walk out of the dining room.

"We each have our own bedroom quarters," the KND commander explains.

The two of them, with the others following behind, walk around the headquarters until they reach the room with five large doors with a number (from one to five) painted on each of them.

"These lead up to our respective rooms," Numbuh One continues. "They are each very large and are fully customized to the owner's liking. I especially admire Numbuh Five's."

"Only because my room has a milkshake bar, leader-man," she smirks. Numbuh One simply shrugs.

"... You have a MILKSHAKE BAR in your own bedroom!?" the excited trainee exclaims. "Hot dog! What's my room like? I bet it's really big and super cool like y'all's, huh!?"

He can already imagine his bedroom now. Large space. Superhero posters on the walls. His own television. His own computer. And looking pretty darn spiffy in general.

* * * * *

Kenny drops his briefcases and stares into the room, jaw dropped. His bedroom is large all right, twice the size of the bedroom at his former home. But...

It's run-down, shabby, and not looking pretty darn spiffy at all.

"This... is... it?" the boy mutters in disbelief.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Kenny," says the KND leader. "This bedroom is supposed to be reserved for whenever we have a guest staying the night or if we have a Kid Next Door trainee. But, uh, since we've been the only people here for quite a very long time, we never thought to spruce this room up. So we just left it as it is. We nearly forgot about it."

Kenny just stands there wordless.

"Yeah well, we'll leave ya to get the 'feel' of yer lovely new room, Rookie," the Aussie laughs from behind.

Numbuh One takes a moment to glare at Numbuh Four to silence him, before continuing. "Remember, your training will start tomorrow morning after breakfast. Get a good night's rest... You'll need it."

Seeing that Kenny isn't going to say anything else, he shrugs and finally leaves him, muttering a good night.

"Good night, Kenny!" the trainee hears Three's sing-song voice calling.

'Aw well,' Kenny thinks, 'it could've been worse. I guess I should be glad I have a room at all.'

He turns on the lights and starts unpacking, sighing a bit.

"Well, maybe I can do something about this shacky room..."

* * * * *

"Why couldn't Kenny just stay in one of our rooms?" Numbuh Three asks her leader as the Kids walk back to the living room.

"Well, I keep some Kids Next Door information in my room, not just at the command center. I just figured you all did the same."

"You're making him feel unwanted," Three pouts.

"No, I'm keeping us safe."

"Well, I don't have all that 'portant stuff in my room anyway. I needed room for my dollies, and fuzzies, and tea party sets, and dollhouses, and..."

Numbuh Five clamps her hand on Numbuh Three's mouth.

"Numbuh Five thinks we get the idea," she says as she lets go.

"Well, he could've stayed in my room; I wouldn't mind," says the bubbly girl innocently.

Numbuh Five raises an eyebrow and scratches her ear to make sure she heard right. "... You're kidding, right? Whoever heard of a boy and a girl sleeping in the same room? That ain't right in the laws of kid physics."

Numbuh Three halts for a moment, letting the others walk ahead of her, and she cocks her head to one side all cutesy like, curious eyes shining.

"What is she talking about? And they say _I'm_ weird."

* * * * *

Kenny's new room looks better than it did before. It's still somewhat dinky compared to the rest of the Treehouse, at least as far as he is able to see, but his cleaning up and setting his belongings to their desired places helped turn this bedroom from a shack to a... a bedroom.

Lying in bed, Kenny cannot stop thinking about tomorrow. His first day of Kids Next Door training. He smiles eagerly. Soon he will be using cool weapons like the others. Soon he will go on missions to stop the people they oppose. Soon he will finally make a name for himself.

'And these are _Kids_ Next Door,' he thinks. 'Certainly training won't be too hard.'

* * * * *

But the next morning...

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" screams the trainee as he drops from the KND's jet-propelled bus, inside a KND drop capsule (you first see that in the episode "No P In The Ool" -- the capsule looks like a trash can, with wooden boards as wings and a drill on top).

The Kids Next Door and Kenny are at a pretty plain grassland on a bright sunny day, away from populated areas. And therefore, doing something big like this would be safe for them, with no interference from people or risk to private or public property.

Too bad Kenny doesn't feel that way.

"What are you doooiiiiiiing!?" hollers Kenny into the PIPER beside him.

"When infiltrating enemy territory, Kenny," answers Numbuh One through the phone-pipe-radio, "sometimes you will have to descend from the aerial transporter inside capsules like these."

"Why didn't you tell me when you would do something like this!?"

"C'mon, rookie," calls Numbuh Four, "we got inside our flying bus and put you in a drop pod; what did you THINK we were gonna do?"

Kenny yells as if for his life. Never has he felt such a sudden rush since the roller coaster ride from a carnival. No, this is three times worse than a roller coaster! Any minute now he'll hit the ground, and it won't be pretty. He cowers down and closes his eyes, waiting for the end to come.

But he feels a *THUMP* and suddenly the KND-painted drop pod bursts open. He is suddenly launched out of it and he lands ungracefully on his face. Groaning, he stands up and checks himself. He is completely intact.

"Whoa..."

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Numbuh Two radios in.

When Kenny thinks about it, it wasn't THAT bad. In fact, when he _really_ thinks about it, it was kinda fun. Especially since he didn't get smashed to bits.

The KND aerial bus lands and the Kids step out. Kenny looks at them and tries to put up the best 'toughie' look possible. Which is rather unconvincing.

"Not bad, Kenny," says the leader, "but you will need to learn how to land on your feet. There should also be less screaming on your part."

"You almost sounded like a g...," Numbuh Four glances at Three and Five, and quickly comes up with something different, "... well, just don't scream like that."

"Me? Screaming? I, I wasn't _really_ screaming," stutters Kenny. "I was just... fooling with you guys, yeah, I was fooling with you guys, to see if I can... trick the enemy into thinking I was helpless!"

"Uh-huh, sure..." says Five, shaking her head.

"I can do that landing thing lotsa times if I have to!" says Kenny, smirking and pointing his thumb at himself.

"Good," says One. "... Because you DO have to."

Kenny's face falters, still having his thumb to his chest.

"Now, come on. We're going to keep doing this till you learn how to take it like a real Kid Next Door!"

"Aw, man..." the trainee whines as he joins the others.

This is going to be a loooong day.

* * * * *

It isn't long before Kenny finally gets used to dropping down while inside a KND capsule. No longer does he scream all the way down. In fact, he starts to actually enjoy it.

When the kids finally return to the Treehouse, Numbuh One has them seated in the living room. Kenny sits solo on a beanbag.

"Excellent, Kenny," the leader compliments, "you have learned one of the methods of infiltrating enemy territory. There is more than one way, of course, but you will learn them soon. The next part of your training for today will be combat, and there are various sessions of it. But for now, take a one hour break."

"Why the rush, boss?" asks Numbuh Five. "Shouldn't trainin' be done slowly, bit by bit?"

Numbuh One motions for her to come with him, aside from the others. When they are out of the others' earshot, he whispers something to her, though looks a bit unsure. Five glances at Kenny for a second and whispers something back, and they go on like this for about a minute until eventually they okay whatever they are talking about, with both of them smiling confidently. With that, they return to the group. Numbuhs Two thru Four and Kenny eye them curiously but do not bring the mysterious subject up.

"As I said, Kenny, you have a one hour break before the next part of your training. Meet us at the command center by then."

With that the commander of the team lets his teammates go to wherever they please. Kenny wonders what he should do during his break, when Numbuh Two comes up to him with a slight smile.

"So, how do you like the Kids Next Door so far?" he asks in a friendly manner.

"Well... It's a heckava lot better than school, that's for sure," Kenny answers, smiling. "I do wonder about the fighting part, though. I've never fought anyone before."

"Don't worry, we'll show you the ropes. It's not too hard once you get used to it. Pretty soon combat will be second nature to you."

The mechanic looks over to Numbuh Three and Numbuh Five, having some sort of conversation with each other. He smirks a little and turns back to Kenny.

"So, Kenny, who do you like more?"

When Kenny wonders what he means, Numbuh Two points over to the two girls. Kenny shyly scratches behind his head.

"I dunno. They're both kinda cool. Though Numbuh Three is really nice to me."

"Ha, I knew it!" smirks Two. "You like her, don'tcha?"

"What? Oh, come on!" Kenny pauses, thinking about something. "Hey wait, I thought boys weren't suppos'ta like girls that way?"

"Phooey, that's the old days, buddy. Nowadays more boys like girls than before. And guess what? I'm one of those boys! I just don't show it that much."

Numbuh Two looks at the two female operatives again. Numbuh Three walks away, leaving Numbuh Five alone. She takes a girl magazine nearby and stands there as she reads. Numbuh Two grins broadly when a idea suddenly pops into his mind.

"Y'know, Kenny... I've always wondered... What does Numbuh Five wear under there?"

The KND trainee looks at him confusedly. "What kind of question is that?"

"Don't you notice? It looks like she's just wearing a big blue shirt. Where the heck are her pants or shorts? Are they just really, _really_ short? Or is she not wearing some at all? That's what I've always wondered for a long time."

"Why not just ask her?" Kenny suggests, still looking at the round boy strangely.

"Nah. She'd never tell me."

"Then I guess you'll never know."

"... Oh, I wouldn't say that..." says Numbuh Two in a slightly deeper tone, wringing his hands and smiling broadly, glancing at the dark girl with a naughty look.

Kenny has seen that look plenty of times on television. Thinking quickly, he immediately steps in front of Numbuh Two.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but you better not act on it...!"

"Stand back, Kenny. The time has come for me to finally get my answer!"

Numbuh Two pushes the other boy away and tiptoes sneakily behind the unsuspecting Numbuh Five. Normally Numbuh Five, being the stealth specialist, would sense someone creeping up to her so closely. But get her engrossed into her favorite magazine and one can kiss most of her keen senses goodbye. And Numbuh Two knows it.

Numbuh Two raises his arms and readies his fingers by wiggling them like he was typing on a keyboard. Grinning, he dives his hands down as he grabs the hem of Numbuh Five's shirt...

"I can't watch..." Kenny mumbles, turning around, awaiting the coming trouble.

Seconds later, he hears the inevitable shriek escape from Numbuh Five and a satisfied shout from Numbuh Two.

"Woo-ho-hoa! Hey Kenny--!"

But he is unable to finish when a thunderous *SLAP* rings throughout the room and Numbuh Two suddenly comes hurtling roughly to a couch near Kenny. The force of the toss knocks the couch over. Kenny blinks and turns around, watching a ticked off and blushing Numbuh Five straightening her shirt and storming away. He manages to hear her comment how two boys in this Treehouse have "violated Numbuh Five" before she disappears from the scene.

Kenny rushes to Numbuh Two, worried about his health.

"Are you okay?" he asks, sitting the round boy up. "That must've really hurt."

"Yeahhh.... But it was WELL worth it!" Numbuh Two says proudly, giving a thumbs up before falling on his back again.

If this were an anime, there would be a huge sweatdrop behind Kenny's head.

* * * * *

Break time is over, so now the combat session of today's training will commence. The Kids Next Door lead Kenny to a large, round, nearly empty room somewhere under the Treehouse. This is their training room, and its purpose is obvious. The five original kids are full-fledged Kids Next Door, so they rarely go to this place. In fact, they almost forgot about it, till Kenny became a rookie KND.

When they enter the training room, Numbuh Five hands him the SCAMPP. Kenny looks at it weirdly, even though he remembers one of the Kids using it back at the warehouse.

"This is the SCAMPP, or the Soup Can And Photon Phlazer," Numbuh Five explains, sensing Kenny's curiosity. Numbuh Five explains how it works, which basically results in firing a soup-hot laser.

"Wow, cool!" explains the boy. "So now what? What do I do? Do I shoot you guys or something?" He aims at his closest target, Numbuh Five. She pushes the pointer aside and just looks at him.

"Uh, no. A bunch of practice targets will pop up when the simulation begins. Try to shoot down as many as you can." She then turns to the others. "Okay guys, give the kid some room!"

"G'luck, Kenny!" cheers Numbuh Three.

"Yeah! Yer gonna need it, heh heh heh!" taunts you-know-who.

Kenny ignores him and waits for the simulation to begin, tapping the SCAMPP to the side of his leg. He sees the gang behind the rectangular window and Numbuh Two doing something on the control panel.

"Ready, Kenny?" Numbuh One's voice echoes. "And... start!"

The moment he finishes, a cardboard adult suddenly pops up from under the floor. Kenny hesitates for a second before he fires a shot at it, forcing it back under the floor. Kenny holds back a "Whoa!", but he doesn't have time to be impressed with this weapon. More cardboard adults come out and he shoots them down, too.

'This is easier than I thought!' thinks Kenny. But suddenly it all changes, and not for the good. Small aluminum flying robotic pods (five in all) emerge from the ceiling. Although they do not attack, they can still run into those who are in their flying path. Not to mention that they are quick.

Kenny fires rapidly but he misses each one by a mile. Obviously he is not used to moving targets. Kenny has to spend a lot of time evading the targets, and since none of them were shot down it is a very difficult task. Never had he expected training to be this intense.

Kenny finds himself backed into a corner and the little fake flying robots are swarming towards him. He yells and closes his eyes, firing like crazy until his poor little index finger tires itself out. When he opens his eyes... the targets are _still_ standing. Or rather flying. Kenny could swear he hears a couple of the Kids laughing.

Suddenly, the robots dive bomb and a very nervous Kenny shields himself, waiting for the aluminum pods...

"Simulation end!"

Saved by the leader's call! The cardboard grown-ups retract back under the floor and the mini-robot pods return into an opening in the ceiling. The Kids emerge from the door; Kenny can clearly see Numbuhs Two and Four resist snickering. Numbuh Three skips merrily along despite Kenny's failure, while Numbuhs One and Five seem somewhat disappointed.

Numbuh Five removes her favorite hat and shakes her head. "Guess shooters aren't yer thing, Ken."

Kenny slowly nods in agreement, staring down at the floor in a mix of disappointment and embarrassment.

"You weren't concentrating hard enough, Kenny," says Numbuh One. "Your mind was wandering around, wondering what to do, how should I do this, et cetera. ... And I think a little overconfidence was also a factor.

"Kenny, in the battlefield you must retain focus on your main objective. Try not to get too distracted and definitely try not to panic. Maintain your cool as long as you possibly can. And, especially, don't get too cocky."

At the last statement he glares at Numbuh Four, who has an expression that says "What!?"

"I'll... I'll try," Kenny says softly, still looking down on the floor.

"Good," says Numbuh Five, replacing her hat back on her head. "Well, since you didn't do so well with a shooter, let's try a melee weapon. Numbuh Two, move yo' fat, perverted tail over here and give 'em the bat!"

And so the team pilot hands Kenny a plastic baseball bat. On his way back, he momentarily lifts up his goggles and winks at the dark-skinned girl, who "humph"s and turns away from him arms crossed. The others, not including Kenny and Numbuh Two, blink at this and even wonder where the red mark on Numbuh Two's cheek came from.

"Wow, cool!" exclaims the excited rookie. "This is one of your weapons, right? Ooo, what does it do? I bet it's like a swiss army knife! Is it a mini-copter in disguise, where you press a button and you can fly away or something?"

"Uh... no..." Numbuh Five says simply. "Actually it's just a plain ol' toy bat."

"... Oh."

Kenny wields the bat and makes some practice swings. For some reason a strange sense of power sparks within.

A few minutes later the five Kids leave Kenny alone in the room again. Numbuh One begins the simulation and another cardboard enemy shows itself. Kenny stands there in his fighting stance and stares hard. He remembers the advice Numbuh One gave him: 'In the battlefield, you must retain focus on your main objective.'

His main objective... To become a Kid Next Door. To fight against evil adults and to preserve children's freedom. To make the world a safer place to live.

He keeps all these things in mind, wields the bat like a samurai ready to strike, and gazes at his target. He imagines the paper-pulp adult into a random 'big kid' -- a bully. All with its stupid laugh, its stupid leather jacket, its stupid jerk voice, its stupid bullying, its stupid laugh, its stupid way of making life miserable for smaller or nicer kids, its stupid... stupid... STUPID LAUGH!!

Kenny cries out in rage, launches himself forward and swings the bat so hard he knocks the target all the way to the other side of the room! He doesn't bother to stop to see what he just did, either, for more similar 'opponents' emerge. He charges to each one and attacks them with newfound power swelling within him, sending them sailing to other parts of the room. Some of them even dent majorly.

After that is done, the five aluminum flying pods enter the arena. Kenny grumbles. Not them again! But he stays calm and focused, taking a short breath before readying to strike. A pair of determined eyes stare at the little things as Kenny lets them hurtle toward him. Then, at the exact right moment he swings, bashing one pod sending it to a wall where it slumps harmlessly to the ground.

He rolls out of the way of an incoming pod. Once safe he stands back up and immediately swings the bat on his attacker, knocking it out of commission. Two down, three to go.

Kenny looks up at the remaining pods hovering way above in a triangular formation. Not good; they were this high up when they used their dive bomb attack. But Kenny will not give up. He imagines the center enemy as an evil adult, one planning to... to get rid of recess, to get rid of summer vacation, or anything else fun! Kenny glares and throws the bat like a javelin as hard as he can towards the pod, just as it begins to dive bomb.

  
Direct hit! The aluminum pod stops in its tracks and comes crashing down like a moth fried by a bug-zapper, and Kenny grabs his weapon as it drops down. Only two to go.

As if sensing that the dive bomb attack failed, the aluminum flying droids buzz back down. They each fly to one side of Kenny, surrounding him. Then they charge forward. But the trainee doesn't move. He just stands there as they come closer... and closer... and closer... until suddenly...

He sidesteps with a smile and the two opponents crash into each other, ceasing their attack for good.

Kenny breathes a sigh and runs his hand through his brown-sugarish hair, relieved that it's over at last. He hears the Kids coming in through the door and he turns to them with a proud smile.

"Hey guys! Did you see what I just did!? I can't believe it!" Apparently the 'real' Kenny has returned.

"Yes, we did. Quite impressive, Kenny." says Numbuh One with a small smile. "Where did the sudden battle skills come from?"

"Ummm, I don't know," Kenny says honestly. "I just did what you told me and something just snapped inside of me. What I did just... came out."

"Well, you sure whooped them!" Numbuh Two compliments, giving a thumbs up.

"You were amaaaaazing!" squeals the Asian girl, giggling.

Even the Aussie can't help but compliment him. "I guess I hafta admit, you kicked butt in here." Then he smirks. "But you're still just a rookie; you ain't gonna get as good as us anytime soon!"

"Oh, I dunno 'bout that, Numbuh Four," says Numbuh Five, raising her cap visor slightly. "He handled that bat pretty good. His skillz with it looked almost innate."

"... Are ya cruddy sayin' that that _rookie_ will b'come as good in hand-to-hand combat as I am!?"

"I didn't quite say dat, but it's a possibility."

"Ha! Rookie boy Kenny, becomin' a hand-to-hand combat specialist? That'll be the day. Thanks guys, I needed a good laugh! Heh heh heh heh!" With that he walks out of the room, still snickering.

"Don't worry about him, Kenny," says Numbuh One. "Deep down inside I bet he is really impressed. He'll be more open about it soon enough."

"He's right though," Kenny says seriously. "I saw how he fought back at that warehouse. He was a real animal in there; I can never become a combat specialist like him."

"Aw, don't be like that, Ken," says the red-capped girl, bringing her arm around him. "You CAN be if you want to be. Every Kid Next Door has different specialities in some things. 'Sides, this training session isn't really meant to become a _specialist_ in combat. It's meant for you to learn _how_ to fight and to get used to figh'in."

"Numbuh Five is right," says the leader. "You did good with a melee weapon, but it took you a little while to eliminate all your opponents. In most cases it is best to stop or destroy the enemy as quickly as you can."

"Yeah!" the mechanic boy nods. "And you still need to learn how to use shooter weapons like the SCAMPP and things like that. Not all enemies can be beaten by hand-to-hand combat. Projectile weapons have other uses, too."

"Okay! I'll remember all that and try my best! But all that fighting made me hungry. Can I take another break?"

Numbuh One stares at him, his sunglasses shielding scruntinizing eyes. 'Another break already?' he thinks. 'Oh well. It is his first day of training. I'll go easy on him for a little while...' "Yes, Kenny, you can take another break."

Kenny doesn't get a chance to thank him when long, green sleeves suddenly grab his hand.

"Come on, Kenny!" Numbuh Three exclaims excitedly, dragging him along.

"Huh? Wh, where're we going?"

"To give you a tour of the Treehouse; at least, as much as Numbuh One would let you see. We can get to know each other better while ....."

Her voice trails off as she exits the room, dragging a confused Kenny along with her. Being reminded about lunch, Numbuh Two "salutes" Numbuhs One and Five as he pretend flies out of the room, making airplane sound effects.

"So, leader-man," says Numbuh Five, "you're still gonna do this?"

"Yes, Numbuh Five. This is a great opportunity for him to learn this particular exercise, even though it has come up a bit too quickly... But we used them up too quickly during our last celebration from our recent 'victory.' "

"All right then, boss. I'm sure you know what yer doin'. Numbuh Five can't wait to show him her style..."

* * * * *

And so the day goes on. Kenny and Numbuh Three really do get to know each other. They discover that they have many things in common, including a liking for furry animals (though of course, Numbuh Three loves them more), a disliking towards places that are too dark, and, to Kenny's relief, a major liking to a certain show accused of being for little girls. In this short amount of time, Kenny and Three become closer friends than before.

Kenny makes quick friends with Numbuh Two as well. It seems they both like to make-up superheroish lines in spite of how corny they are to the others, particularly Numbuh Five. In fact, poor Numbuh Five is worried she'll have to hear dumb quotes TWICE as much!

The rookie Kid Next Door also finds it easy to hang along with Numbuh Five as well. Although he is still getting used to her third-person speech, her friendly atmosphere and cool attitude makes her quite comforting to Kenny.

Numbuh Four is still a little tough to handle. He is no schoolyard bully (at least, not towards Kenny), but he still teases the rookie sometimes. But that's okay with Kenny since he knows that Four teases his friends all the time. It's just putting up with it that is a bit hard.

Numbuh One reminds Kenny of one of those types of kids that act mature despite their very, very young age. He likes that in him, even though it almost contradicts what he's fighting for. The leader will definitely be one inspiring friend to look up to... Especially when he needs _major_ help in Kid Next Door training.

Finally establishing real friendship with the Kids Next Door, Kenny gets a major confidence boost as he continues the training all day. He learns to perfect being launched down from out of an aerial vehicle inside a drop pod. Through trial and error he gradually becomes better in combat. He even finally gets the hang of shooting projectiles.

* * * * *

Finally the day dissolves into night, and the last training session finishes just before dinner. After dinner Numbuh One calls Kenny and the others into the main room (the command center with the computers and stuff, not the living room). The five (minus Numbuh One) meet there, with Kenny sitting in the middle of the circular couch.

Numbuh One comes out of a room and walks behind the podium, paying extra attention to the rookie agent.

"Greetings. I am sure you all are wondering as to why I called you here."

"A bad-apple adult is FINALLY messing around somewhere?" asks Numbuh Four excitedly.

"Well, no. This meeting pertains to our Kid Next Door trainee, Kenny Rangsey."

Kenny looks at him eagerly.

"Kenny, due to... certain circumstances, we have to cancel tomorrow's training. Tomorrow night you will embark on an exercise that will test your skills... in stealth."

The Kids, including Kenny (who seems excited) but minus Numbuh Five, mumble among each other, wondering what he could mean. One glances at Five and they both nod. Then One taps on his podium to cease their conversation.

"Tomorrow night, Kenny, you will be on your very first dangerous mission..."

The Kids (minus Numbuh Five) raise their eyebrows. A dangerous mission already? But Kenny just started training today!

"Tomorrow night... you will retrieve something for us by infiltrating the headquarters of our most dangerous enemies...

... The Delightful Children From Down The Lane!"

* * * * *

  
TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter Four

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...  
  
Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Four

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades  
  
Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

"You... You've got to be KIDDING me, Numbuh One!" Four exclaims. "You're sending off this rookie into the Delightful Children From Down The Lane's mansion!?"

"Yes, I am."

"Uh, Numbuh One," pipes Numbuh Two, "these are the _Delightful Children_ we're talking about, here. Are you absolutely sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course Numbuh One knows what he's doin'," Numbuh Five responds. "He IS the leader, afta all!"

"Yeah, precisely..." mutters Numbuh Four acidly.

Kenny, who has been sitting there confusedly while the others talked, finally raises his hand and asks, "Um, guys, who _are_ the Delightful Children?"

Numbuh One, feeling slightly sheepish for not explaining any info about their enemies, adjusts his thick sunglasses and clears his throat.

"The Delightful Children From Down The Lane are our archrivals. They are five kids who are sort of our polar opposites. Instead of fighting adults, they, as Numbuh Four would say, 'suck up' to them. They have been our enemies since as long as we can remember."

"YEAH!" Numbuh Four shouts, jumping out of his seat and making body movements to emphasize his points. "And we've _always_ seen them together; never separate! And they wear stupid 'proper' clothes! And they have this _creepy stare_! But the eyes aren't what make us nervous!"

"Yeah," continues Numbuh Two, "they all talk at the same time, never individually."

"And they sound kinda creepy when they do. Like zombies or something," finishes Numbuh Three.

"But in spite of all that, they are very dangerous," Numbuh One states. "There were at least two occasions where they could have beaten us for good."

Kenny takes this all in and suddenly becomes interested in his sneakers. If the Delightful Children really are that bad, he wonders just how he, a trainee, would be able to fare against them. A nervous shiver envelopes his body but he ignores it and tries to put on a brave face.

"All right, then, Numbuh One. What do you need me to do?"

"You are to infiltrate their home and steal their bags of tortilla chips."

"Steal their tortilla chips? But isn't there a deli just around the corner?"

"Them tortillas are a whole lot better when you take 'em from those Delightful dorks, hee hee hee!" Five snickers, snapping her fingers in declaration.

"Yeah, not to mention cheaper," Two remarks.

Numbuh One clears his throat and continues. "As I was saying, you are to steal the Delightul Children's tortilla chips. We occasionally have Numbuh Five do the job... But now it's _your_ turn. This will certainly test your skills of stealth inside enemy territory."

"Are you sure about this, Numbuh One?" asks Four. "I mean, I know Kenny's gettin' better at this Kids Next Door stuff, but still... They're the _Delightful Children_!"

"I am confident that he will succeed on his mission. What do you say, Kenny? Can you do it?"

Kenny has just started on his "job" as a Kid Next Door and already a particularly dangerous exercise has been handed to him! Although a bit nervous, excitement also fills his mind and body. 'This is my chance to really prove myself!' he says inwardly. Determination swelling within, he stands up and points a thumb to his chest proudly.

"I'll do it! Don't you worry, guys, those chips will be yours in no time!"

"Pleased to hear you say that," the leader nods. "Your mission will begin tomorrow night. We will fill in the details when we arrive at their headquarters. You better get a good night's rest."

* * * * *

Wanting to ease his tension, Kenny decides to watch a few shows on the 24/7 cartoon station before going to bed. Of course, he cannot concentrate on the big screen in front of him. His very first mission... and he's going solo. He certainly better not mess this one up too badly, or he can most likely say farewell at a shot of becoming an official Kid Next Door.

Suddenly his vision becomes dark and he feels some type of soft fabric around his eyes.

"Guess who!"

"Uh... Numbuh Three?"

"Aw, you got it right!"

Numbuh Three uncovers his eyes and hops beside him on the sofa, smiling ever so cutely at Kenny.

"Isn't this great, Kenny? Your first mission already! You must be excited!"

"Yeah. But I'm nervous, too. Are the Delightful Children as bad as the others say they are?"

"Mmhm. They build machines an' stuff, and theirs are about as strong as our stuff, if not stronger. They sometimes hire villians after us, too, but after what happened last week I don't think they'd want to anymore."

"What happened last week?" Kenny inquires curiously.

Numbuh Three shakes her head. "I'm not too sure if Numbuh One would let me talk about it to ya. Things turned out okay again in the end, but some bad stuff happened before then."

"Oh..." Not wanting to pry Numbuh Three anymore, he decides to get back on-topic. "So, I'm about to penetrate the fortress of your arch-enemies. It's gonna be tough, but I think I can do it."

"I _know_ you can do it," his friend says sweetly, her long sleeve on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. Just remember what Numbuh One said an' try your best."

"Right! Thanks, Numbuh Three."

"Hey, what are best friends for?"

The words 'best friends' send a warm, comfortable feeling inside Kenny and he smiles. He is certainly glad Numbuh Three and himself are so close. He wishes he could carry on the conversation with his friend even longer, but he really needs to heed Numbuh One's advice.

"Well, I better get some sleep if I want to be in tip-top shape for tomorrow's mission."

Numbuh Three nods as Kenny gets up and heads for his bedroom.

" 'Night, Numbuh Three."

"G'night! Oh, and remember your promise to me!"

'D'oh!' Kenny mumbles. He remembers his promise alright. Earlier today he lost a game of Tic-Tac-Toe against Numbuh Three. Had he won, Numbuh Three would have bought him his favorite candy at the Kids Next Door's favorite candy store. But he lost. And so now he is forced into a pretend tea party with her.

'Oh well,' thinks Kenny. 'At least I can finally see the inside of ONE of their bedrooms. And hey, I can just pretend that it's another training exercise! At least the others won't tease me _too_ much then.'

With a small smile forming on his lips, he sighs and heads for his room to turn in for the night.

'Tomorrow, it all begins...'

* * * * *

The big night arrives. The KND flying bus soars high in the suburbs, in a low speed so that it would make little noise. It doesn't have to travel far, anyway-- The Delightfuls' mansion is right down the lane, after all.

Numbuh Two parks the bus behind the walls of the entrance gate, and Kenny (equipped with a tie-dyish backpack) and Numbuh Five disembark. Numbuh Five uses her speed and agility to hop on top of the wall with little effort, if any, then helps Kenny over it. They sneak towards a side of the Delightfuls' household, ducking behind bushes and trees along the way.

When they get there, the stealth expert leads Kenny to one part of the mansion wall with a large shrubbery. Five pushes through them to expose the wall. Then she pulls along a particular spot on the wall to reveal a secret tunnel. Kenny's eye widen in amazement.

"Awright, Ken, you remember the debriefing?"

"Sneak into their headquarters, steal the chips and come straight back."

"Right. Also remember not ta not be spotted. Gettin' into a confrontation wouldn't be cool, 'specially since it's one of you against five of them.

"But if things _don't_ go your way, here." She hands Kenny the PIPER. "Call us an' we'll come in and bail you out."

"Thanks, Numbuh Five," says Kenny, taking the device and putting it in his tie-dye shirt.

"No problem. This tunnel should lead you to the kitchen, but be on your guard. Now getcho butt down there."

So Kenny does as told and crawls into Five's secret tunnel. A shiver runs down Kenny's spine; it's so dark! But he musters up his courage and braves the darkness. Eventually, he makes it out and finds himself inside a large, fancy kitchen.

"Now to find those chips," Kenny says to himself.

He searches through the kitchen, being sure to set things back where they were. He opens the refrigerator door but doesn't find any chips in there. He then decides to scan the cabinets. Opening each one, he finds seasonings, mixings, canned stuff, bags of tortilla chips, peanut butter, bunch of miscellaneous junk....

"Tortilla chips!" Kenny exclaims as he snatches them and holds them up triumphantly.

"Yes, mission complete already! Now to get out of here!"

He stuffs the bag into his backpack and makes his way toward the secret tunnel... When he suddenly hears footsteps heading this way!

"Hang on a minute, I'm going to get us some more tortilla chips," comes a soft, feminine voice from down the hall.

"Uh-oh!" yelps Kenny. Whoever she is, she is way too close for him to retreat back into the tunnel now. So, he ducks into the best hiding place he can find: a cabinet under the sink.

Quite uncomfortable. Even with his small body it is still too cramped with all the junk and pipes and all in there. Trying to resist whining he listens in as the girl's footsteps come closer. He hears her searching through the kitchen, mumbling about where the tortillas are located.

'She must be one of the Delightful Children,' Kenny muses to himself. 'But wait, didn't the others said they're always together? Why is one of them alone?'

Becoming bold, he opens the cabinet door a tad to get a look at her. But it's not enough. Becoming bolder, he leans in.

Bad idea. His foot slips on something and the sudden lost of balance forces Kenny to fall right out of the kitchen cabinet, landing facefirst on the floor.

And in front of the Delightful Child.

"Owwwch..." he groans.

The Delightful girl (the sandy blonde wearing a pink bow) stands there, blinking, wondering who invited this unexpected guest.

Kenny opens his eyes... to discover the feet of the girl in front of him wearing white shoes and pink socks. He closes his eyes quickly and grumbles. 'Great, my first mission and already I screwed up!'

"Um, excuse me... Who are you?" the sandy blonde speaks up.

Kenny finally sits up, his head down, dusting himself off. Trying to come up with some way to get out of here, he begins. "Well, you see, I'm..." He lifts up his head, finally facing one of the Kids Next Door's worst enemies...

And that's when he freezes. The moment his eyes lay on her, he becomes utterly speechless. He just stands there, staring at her while his heart thumps at an unusual speed, his hands become somewhat sweaty, and his legs feel like they could give out anytime. During these brief seconds (which feels like eternity to Kenny), the rest of the world seems to blur around him and the only thing completely focused is the girl standing right in front of him...

"You're what?" she asks, apparently unaware of what poor Kenny is going through.

For some reason her voice sounds almost melodic to the newbie Kid Next Door and he bears a somewhat goofy smile.

"I-I-I-I-I..." he stutters. Just when he thought his bashful personality significantly reduced thanks to his new friends, here it comes again, two-, no, threefold! Kenny meekly folds his arms behind his back, digging the floor with the sole of his shoe, trying to think up something, anything, to say to her.

"Okay..." she finally says, "I guess I will be getting my siblings now."

That snaps Kenny right into attention. He almost forgot that this girl is one of the Delightful Children, his new friends' worst enemies! He certainly cannot let her warn her 'siblings' of his invasion; if they catch him with their tortilla chips this whole mission would be blown to insignificant pieces! And that would _not_ be good for his friends' evaluation of him... assuming he'd make it out of here.

Regaining his senses he makes a dash to block the girl's way.

"Wait, you don't want to do that!"

"You are an intruder. Why should I _not_ warn my siblings?"

"Because... I'm not an intruder?"

The Bow Girl just looks at him.

"Um, you're probably wondering who I am. Okay, uh..." Kenny's nervousness returns. "I'm... I'm... Bennie Zingsley... no, wait, I'm Finley Ringsai... no, that's not right, I'm Kenny McCormick! Ugh, wrong last name..." He takes a breath and finally says, "I'm... Kenny Rangsey."

"Charlene."

'Charlene... what a wonderful name,' Kenny thinks dreamily.

"So what were you doing under the sink?"

"Oh, that, uh... I was... inspecting for termites! Yes, I'm a termite inspector!"

"A termite inspector?"

"Mmhm! You never know when you'll have those little bugs! Eh-heh heh heh... heh." 'Okay, that was pretty lame; way to make yourself look dumb,' Kenny mentally curses himself.

"We do not get termites."

"Right, uh, that is what I saw. So, you passed! Hehehe..."

"You seem much too young to have a job like that... How did you get inside, anyway?"

Kenny gulps and beads of sweat form on his forehead. He tries to think of a way out, and replies goofily, "Uhhh... That's for me to know, heh heh. Well, I better be going; wouldn't want to keep my boss waiting."

"And who is your boss?" asks Charlene suspiciously.

"Oh... some cool guy!" Kenny's voice trails off as he sprints out of the kitchen.

"What a strange boy. Hmmmmm. Now where are those chips...?"

* * * * *

"What happened to me in there!?" Kenny exclaims after making it to safety in the hall. "I was cool, I was calm, I was collected! So why was it that when I saw her I... went nuts!?"

Then he wonders... Could Charlene have known what he is _really_ here for? Maybe she secretly sprayed something on herself that causes the victims to... lose their minds or something. But when he thinks about the ridiculousness of it, he sighs and droops his hands to his sides.

"The only other explanation would be that I... like her-like her. Great, when Mom said I'd find that 'lucky girl' soon, I didn't expect it to be THIS soon."

Then he remembers something.

"Aw, man... Of all the girls to fall for, why did it have to be an ENEMY!? How would the others take this? Not so good, I bet. I better keep this to myself. Now, I have to find a way out of here. But this place is so big! And I certainly cannot go back to Numbuh Five's secret tunnel now..."

Kenny reaches down to retrieve the PIPER he managed to hide from Charlene, when he suddenly has a thought. If he calls the others for help, then that would prove he did not do his mission well. If he wants to impress them he has to do this right. So with a confident nod he changes his mind and decides to find a way out all on his own.

Kenny traverses across the hallway, admiring his surroundings. Never before has he been in such a fancy (and expensive) mansion his entire very young life. He practically leaps up to the ceiling in a panic when a door flies open, and he ducks behind a hiding spot.

Out comes a boy wearing a football helmet, which clashes terribly with his all-blue schoolboy outfit.

'Must be another Delightful Child,' he muses to himself. More confusion fills him as he discovers yet another Delightful separate from the group, in spite of what his teammates told him. If they are really _always_ together, why did he just see two of them on their own?

Kenny decides to think about this matter for another time and follows the helmet-headed Delightful down the hall. 'Maybe he can lead me the way out,' he thinks.

Suddenly Kenny accidently moves against the wall creating a loud sound that alerts the Delightful. The enemy whirls around, wondering what that sound was, only to see nothing in particular. Shrugging, he turns back around and continues toward his destination.

Not knowing that a walking potted plant with sneakers is following him.

The plant continues to follow the Delightful until he enters a large living room. The walking potted plant stops right beside the door. Out pokes the head of Kenny, who takes a peek inside. He finds the football helmet-headed Delightful boy, along with a shorter blonde boy and a taller boy whose brown hair covers his eyes. The latter two are similarly dressed as the helmet boy, and they are sitting on a very comfortable-looking couch watching a large-screen television.

"I just beat the third game this week!" exclaims Helmet Boy. "This is so sweet! I've never had this much free time before!"

"Shhhh. TV," drones the Tall Boy.

"I am happy to see that you have accomplished something," says the blonde Delightful. "I wish I could say the same for me. I have yet to come up with a plan worthy of carrying out."

"Aw, don't you get it? With him gone we don't have to worry about that anymore. We have absolute freedom!"

"I am quite aware of that, Jason," says the blonde boy. "But I still would love to show those Kids Next Door off somehow. We have to proof that we Delightful Children are better than they are."

"Hey, I said TV!" says the Tall Boy frustratedly.

"Fine, fine, Nathan," replies the blonde, who resumes watching some kind of sitcom.

"You really need to learn to chill, Brandon," says the helmet boy Jason, sitting next to the blonde. "He's gone, remember? It's not like we're FORCED to beat them now. We can just sit back and relax whenever WE want to! So enjoy it."

'I am enjoying it. But I am not sure we should let the Kids Next Door be aware of how much we're slacking off without him...' Brandon says to himself. 'Hmm. Maybe I should go ahead and take Jason's advice after all. But still...'

Kenny ducks back behind the plant, pondering about the conversation he just heard. He also wonders why the helmet boy says they are free without this particular person; whoever 'he' is. Again, he decides to think about the matter later.

Kenny knows he cannot just walk across the open doorway; they would spot him for sure. Closing the door would not help; a door mysteriously closing on its own would certainly alert them, assuming they do not actually see him close it first. He looks at his surroundings trying to find something to aid his escape. He then spots a quarter beside him.

"What luck!" he whispers, smiling. He picks it up and is about to slip it in his pocket, when he gets an idea. Smirking, he quickly tosses the coin into the room.

"Hey, look, a quarter!" shouts Jason (the helmet boy). This follows by the sounds of the floor being leapt on with Jason and Nathan (the tall Delightful with hair covering his eyes) alternating "It's mine! No, it's mine!"

"You two are such little fools," sighs the voice of Brandon. "It is only a quarter, after all.

"And besides... IT'S MINE!"

His plan successful, Kenny snickers and walks safely across the doorway, leaving the plant behind. With that obstacle passed he continues searching for a way out of the mansion. He happens upon another room (without a door) and heads there, hoping it would be empty and he could escape from the window.

The inside is filled with many books, bookshelves, and cushioned-chairs. 'It must be the reading room,' Kenny muses. Unfortunately, he also discovers that the reading room is occupied by a girl with pigtails and glasses, similarly dressed as the Bow Girl, Charlene. The remaining Delightful Child.

The girl, sitting on one of the chairs and hearing his footsteps, lifts her nose from her book and frowns at her intruder.

"What the...? Who are you!?" she demands, getting up and walking towards him.

Kenny nervously replies, "Uh, termite inspector?"

"What? We don't get--"

"I know, and you passed, and I was JUST leaving! But I'm kinda lost..."

"You're not far from the entrance; just go straight down the hall. Our mansion is not as large as it may seem."

"Oh, thank you so much! Well, gotta go, see ya!"

"Wait, you--!" But Kenny is long gone before she can finish. "What a rude boy he was. Humph! And I sure do not remember anybody calling in an inspector in the first place..."

Kenny dashes down the hall until he enters a very large room with stairs... and a large entrance door right across from them.

"I made it!" he exclaims excitedly. He makes a mad dash toward the exit.

* * * * *

Meanwhile back at the living room, the Delightful boys are watching their large TV once again. Their clothes are roughed up and they generally look un-Delightful. The blonde one is satisfied, however.

"You should never challenge the master of coin-grabbing," he smirks, patting his shorts' pocket. (Yes, they're shorts, not pants like the other boys.)

"Aw, shut up..." his brothers grumble.

Just then the pigtailed Delightful bursts in, glaring at the boys and looking a little miffed.

"Geez, Naomi, what's with you?" her brother Jason wonders.

"I just met a very rude boy. He came busting into the reading room like he owned the place and claimed he's a termite inspector!"

"... But we never get termites," the three male Delightfuls say together.

"EXACTLY! So no one could have called him in..."

Right after she finishes, a confused Charlene comes strolling in.

"Excuse me, boys, but did you call in a 'termite inspector'?"

"No, we did not."

"So you ran into that discourteous boy, too?" asks Naomi, the girl with the pigtails.

"Yes, but that is not the problem. I can not find the chips. They are all gone."

"How could they be gone already?" wonders Brandon. "I saw the chips earlier today. None of us could have eaten them _that_ fast-- not even Jason."

"Yeah, that's-- HEY!" frowns the aforementioned boy.

Suddenly Naomi pauses and adjusts her glasses as a great deal of suspicion rises. "Wait a second. An unexpected intruder. And the tortilla chips happen to disappear at the same time."

It is then that all the Delightful Children get a blank stare as full realization finally hits them. In their standard monotone they chorus, "It could only mean one thing..."

* * * * *

Kenny bursts from the front entrance of the household. Much to the surprise of Numbuh Five, who sees him come from somewhere that is _not_ her secret tunnel.

"Yo, Kenny!" she shouts as she runs up to him. "How'd you get ova there? You were suppos'ta come out from the secret tunnel! And what took you so long?"

"I'll explain later, Numbuh Five! Right now we have to get out of here, and fast!"

Numbuh Five opens her mouth to say something else, but...

"KIDS NEXT DOOR!!" erupts from the mansion.

"You don't hafta tell Numbuh Five twice!" she says as she and Kenny quickly make their way over the gate and back inside the KND bus, just as the not-so-happy Delightful Children emerge from their home. The flying bus lifts off and zooms back toward the Treehouse.

The Delightfuls grumble something under their breath. Once again they let their chips be stolen by their rivals. One thing puzzles them, however: Who was that kid?

* * * * *

Back in the KND aerial bus...

"Sorry I took so long," says Kenny. "I, uh, ran into one of the Delightful Children and couldn't get back into the tunnel..."

"Well, that's all right," says One. "You have the tortilla chips and you're still in one piece. So your mission is successful. And you did it without calling for help, too. Good job."

Kenny smiles, a bit of confidence restoring inside. His confidence boosts even more when Numbuh Three whispers "You did great!" to his ear and Numbuh Five gives him a thumbs up. Even Numbuh Four can't help but smile a little.

Numbuh Two, piloting the bus, wants to compliment Kenny on a job well done, but is contemplating something important on his mind. "Hey Kenny... Did you say you ran into ONE of the Delightful Children? As in... not with the rest of the group?"

"That's right."

The others finally notice what Kenny said earlier and also turn serious.

"Three of them were together but I saw another one alone, too."

"But... But the Delightful Children are ALWAYS together. Aren't they?" says Numbuh Four.

"They didn't sound too zombie-ish when I saw 'em, either."

"Hmmm. Mighty strange," says Numbuh One, scratching under his elliptical chin.

Then Numbuh Two has another thought. "Guys... You don't think Manasa (gulp) killing their dad has anything to do with it, do you?"

"Who's Manasa?" Kenny asks curiously.

Numbuh One looks at him for a moment, sighs, and reluctantly explains. "Well, last week the Delightful Children hired their most powerful 'villian' employee yet. Her name was Manasa. She had some sort of mind power, and she used this power to turn us against each other. It eventually worked, causing us to break up.

"When I went to confront the Delightful Children I ran into Manasa herself. The others came back and we all found out that it was Manasa's mind tricks causing us to fight with one another. We made up and fought her. We eventually defeated her.

"She explained to us that she broke us up so that she could get the Delightful Children's father at the 'perfect moment.' And apparently... she successfully destroyed him."

"What? Why did she do that?" asks Kenny.

"She told us their father was planning to kill all disobedient children worldwide. ... Including his own children, for their past failures in stopping us."

"That's terrible..."

"Yeah," agrees Numbuh Two. "The last time we saw Manasa, the Delightful Children were attacking her and she told us to get away. We haven't seen her again since. I hope she's okay..."

"I'm sure she is," says Numbuh One.

"So that's what happened..." whispers Kenny to Numbuh Three, who silently nods.

"Wit' their pops gone," says Numbuh Five, "maybe his control over them is gone, too. Might explain what Kenny saw."

"Maybe they'll be easier to beat for now on!" suggests the Aussie.

"Maybe, maybe not," states the leader. "They've been held back by their father in the past. Now that he is no longer with them, _they're_ in control. That could be both a good thing... and a bad thing."

Numbuh Four silently nods, having no choice but to agree with him.

"Well, let's not let this get us down!" smirks Five. "Let's go home an' have us some chips, dipped in some deeeelicious cheese!"

The others whole-heartedly agree. Numbuh Two's mouth waters as he speeds up the bus with new motivation.

Kenny, however, looks back out the window, looking towards the direction of the Delightful Children's mansion. There is one thing he left out about his mission. Something he thinks the others might not approve of. Something he knows would jeopardize his chance at becoming a Kid Next Door.

He has a crush on one of their arch-enemies....

* * * * *  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Chapter Five

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Five

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

The others were not kidding about how large their bedrooms are. Numbuh Three's room is pretty big indeed, cluttered with many things that would definitely be most boys' worst nightmare. Various toys (mostly "girl" toys) and stuffed animals are in every corner in a variety of colors (every one of them having the number 3 on it), with a couple wooden and plastic round tables and some pretend tea party stuff at one section and a TV at another section. At the upper-middle section of the room is her bed, which looks like a big fluffy smiling animal of some sort, also having a large number 3 on it.

Kenny spots his giggling blithe friend jumping up and down on her bed, jumping out of the bed when she spots him in incredible velocity.

"Hiya!" she squeals merrily. "Glad y'could make it. For a minute there I thought you'd run away."

Strangely, running away was the very first idea in his mind. But a promise is a promise. He lost to their game so he is at her mercy. He tries to convince himself that it won't be so bad, that he'd actually enjoy it. But the many, many cutesy and girly accessories all around him don't help much.

"I already have the tea party stuff ready, so we can start now-- Oh, wait!" she slaps her forehead and giggles. "I forgot my party dress! I'll be right back; don't go _anywhere_!" And with that she skips into another room.

Sighing, Kenny stuffs his hands into his pockets and leans on a "wall" of fluffy stuffed animals. The instant his back feels on them, though, he smiles and jumps right on top of the pile, lying on his back and smiling pleasurably. "I gotta admit. Her room might be too girlish but it sure is warm and very cozy! Even more than my bed. I could lay here all day!"

Snuggling against the large pile of fluff, he lets out another sigh. He's almost glad Numbuh Three is gone for the moment. It would give him time to think. To think about his chances of becoming a Kid Next Door. To think about the challenges ahead. To think about... Charlene.

Charlene... 'Why,' Kenny thinks, 'am I going so gaga over her? Is it her bow? Her hair? Her voice? Or something else?' Whatever it could be, the fact remains: he has a big and unusual crush on her.

This wouldn't be a problem at all if she weren't one of the Delightful Children From Down The Lane. His friends said they are enemies with each other and that the Delightfuls are pretty dangerous. He does not know what kind of bad stuff they may have done but if they are really as bad as the others said they are, then this could mean trouble for his shot at becoming an official Kids Next Door operative. If Numbuh One especially were to find out about his crush...

'He'd kick me off the team before I even got on it...'

As long as he stays silent he might be able to get away with it. But it is so difficult sealing it up inside. He wants... He _needs_ someone to talk to. Someone who could ease his mind. Someone who would understand his situation.

He could try calling his mother. But wait, what if part of the training is to not seek help from an adult? The Kids Next Door are _against_ almost every adult, after all. His mother may not be an 'evil' grown-up but she's a grown-up nonetheless. So that option is out.

As he tries to come up with more options, the voice of his female friend rings into the room.

"I'm back!"

At that instant Kenny's mind clicks. Numbuh Three! She's the next best person to talk to. Cheerful, happy-go-lucky, and kind by nature. But would she understand his dilemma? What if despite her gleeful personality she doesn't like the idea of someone falling for an enemy? She could tell Numbuh One and...

No. This is Numbuh Three, she wouldn't do that to any friend of hers. Would she?

"Hey, come off of there, you can nap later!" she calls.

Kenny does as told, jumping from the pile and landing on his feet. He looks over Numbuh Three's party dress and smiles (it's the same dress from the eps I-SCREAM and THE-FLY). He mentally admits it looks good on her.

"Well, come on, let's start!"

The sugar-rushy little girl snatches her poor friend by the arm, dragging him all the way to the wooden table with all the tea party things. He breathes a long sigh; it's going to be another long day.

* * * * *

Minutes into the pretend tea party and already he wants out. Not only is Three speaking in that "proper" voice stereotypical of a girl playing tea party, they have two other guests as well: A Rainbow Monkey plush and some random teddy bear in a small light-blue dress. Kenny is relieved that at least the other agents aren't here to watch.

"More tea, Mr. Rangsey?" asks Three, ever so formally.

"Huh? Uh... yeah, sure..." he says in a low voice as Three pours some "tea" into his plastic mug. She then proceeds to pour pretend tea for the other two guests.

Kenny sighs, telling himself to pretend it's part of training and maybe his embarrassment would be toned down a little... Yes, enduring Three's tea parties is a training exercise. With that in mind he decides to sit there and get through this as long as humanly possible.

"Where was I? Oh, yes... I am so glad you decided to visit me on such a fine day, Mr. Rangsey," says the girl. "You're not like most boys. Normally Numbuh... I mean Num_ber_ Two would fall asleep by now. Num_ber_ One would look at his watch a lot. And Num_ber_ Four would run away screaming. So, Kenny Rangsey, I thank you for staying awake and for not looking at something else so much and for not escaping." She bows her head gratefully.

Kenny looks at her, blinking. He's willing to bet at least Numbuh Five stuck through, but apparently Numbuh Three never got a full, enjoyable time of tea party with any of the boy members. Poor girl; must be pretty boring for her having her parties with no real-life friends (other than Five, of course) to enjoy it with. Now he has new motivation. If he can make it out of this without retreating or falling asleep, not only would the others be impressed, it would make his friend happy as well. And Numbuh Three just wouldn't look right when she is not happy.

"Um... no problem," he finally says, smiling a bit as he begins to sip his imaginary tea while sticking out his finger.

"No, no, you're doing it all wrong," Three suddenly blurts out.

Kenny blinks and looks at the hand holding his cup. Kenny tries to think what is wrong. He assumes he was sipping too fast. So he shrugs and sips more slowly.

"No, Kenny, you hold your pinky finger up when you're sipping your tea!" the girl huffs. "Like this!" She demonstrates as, sipping her "tea," she sticks up her pinky finger before gently setting the cup back down, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "There, now your turn."

Kenny shakes his head, grumbling. No way he's going to do a silly thing like that, even if is part of personal training. "Kill me."

At that, Three frowns. "That's not a very polite thing to say at a party."

"Okay. Shoot me."

"No, no, no, you keep forgetting the magic word! It should be please shoot me!"

"All right. Please shoot me or kill me or knock me out or something, 'cause doing that pinky thing would be so... so silly-looking!"

"Okay," she smiles unusually as she produces a pillow from out of nowhere. "You want one lump or two?"

The boy gulps. A girl like her would definitely know how to handle that thing. Why take the risk? So, sighing defeatedly, he gives in to her wishes.

"All right, all right. I'll stick the stupid pinky up." And he reluctantly does just that.

"Good!" Three replies, abruptly returning to her proper voice. "Now drink before your tea gets cold."

"Um... isn't this iced tea?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Never mind."

A minute or so passes by as the two remain silent, which fills Kenny with a little discomfort, until Three thankfully breaks it, speaking this time in her normal tone:

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask you something! They're important for your becomin' a Kid Next Door."

Kenny raises an eyebrow in interest. "Yeah? What is it?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"Huh? Well, uh, if you look at my shirt," he points to his tie-dye shirt, "you can see I like a lot of 'em. But I love blue. Um, what's this got to do with the Kids Next Door?"

"Oh, it's _very_ important! If we don' know your favorite color, how will we know what color to make the balloons 'n' stuff at your initiation party?"

"That's assuming I pass and become an official member..."

"Oh, you will."

"Really? How do ya know?"

"The Kids Next Door lets lotsa kids in, silly," she giggles. "So I bet you get in easy."

"Even kids like me?" asks the shy boy.

"Sure, even kids like you who wear funny-lookin' shirts."

Kenny thinks about that for a moment. If Numbuh Three truly believes he will achieve his goal, could it mean she won't rat on him for doing something so unacceptable to the KND? Such as... having a major crush on the enemy? Maybe... It's worth a shot. 'I wanted to tell her anyway so might as well,' he thinks.

"Um, Numbuh Three, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

Kenny nearly falls out of his chair backwards.

"All right, then I'll ask another question. But... it's something pretty big. I've been keeping it to myself 'cause I thought if I tell anyone it would be disasterous... I mean... I..."

"Hey, you can tell me," she says, smiling. "Bestest friends keep each other's secrets, right? And we're bestest friends... right?"

Kenny looks at her almost blankly. 'She really _does_ think of me as a best friend. Wow...' Last night she sorta said it but Kenny previously thought it was just a confidence booster for his first mission. But now it's a true declaration of their close friendship. He is certainly glad he came to her first. If he were to tell any of the others, especially Numbuh Four, they would blab to Numbuh One the second his secret escapes his lips.

So, with a nod, he agrees with her.

"Good." Three scoots her chair over to Kenny and leans in very close to him. She whispers with a smile, "So what's your big bad secret?"

"Um. Well, uh... how should I say this... uhhhh..." In his nervousness he unconsciously sips his pretend tea, even pouring spoonfuls of 'sugar' into it. "Okay.... Um.... What would you say if... someone... has a big huge crush...."

"Someone has a crush on me!? Who is it!?" Three suddenly exclaims excitedly.

"Hey, lemme finish!"

"Oh, right, sorry, go on," she says calmly though now thoroughly intrigued.

"Ahem. But there's something... not right... about this crush...."

"Uh-huuuh?"

"See... this boy... happens to have a crush... on someone his friends... don't like."

"Oh?"

"Mmhm. In fact, this girl he has a crush on... happens to be... his friends'... worst... enemy...?"

"Oooohhhhh. (gasp) OMIGOSHYOUHAVEACRUSHONADELIGHTFULCHILDFROMDOWNTHELANE!!!!" she yells very excitedly, Kenny falling out of his chair from the force of her outburst.

"Kenny's in luuuuuuv! Kenny's in luuuuuuv! Kenny's in luuuuuuuv!"

"Okay, Numbuh Three, you got it, you got it. Now calm down," says the recovering Kenny. Three does calm down and stops when it hits her.

"But... but... you... an'... Delightful... you... Delightful... But it's not delightful at all!"

"Starting to see the problem now?"

"Numbuh One might not let you be a Kid Next Door for that!"

"See!?" Kenny shouts, slamming his fist on the table frustratedly, causing the plastic tea cups and plates to tremble a bit. "Man, I just had to have a crush on an enemy! Now I'm in big trouble!"

Kenny looks at her, expecting her to throw a fit or tattle on Numbuh One. But, just as he thought, she doesn't. Instead she just looks at him, concern and worriness mixed into her eyes.

"Aren't you mad at me?"

"I dunno. This is weird. I mean, it's neat you have a crush, but a Delightful? Even I know that can't be good!"

"Oh no," Kenny groans, "if YOU don't think it's good, then... Shucks, I'm in deep poop! Three, you hafta help me. What should I do?"

"I think this's outta my league. Hey, maybe you should ask Numbuh Five about this. She knows more 'bout this lovey-dovey stuff and she can keep a secret, too."

"Numbuh Five? You sure? Well, okay."

Kenny stands and makes his way toward the room exit. "Sorry to have to cut this party short but this's an emergency!"

Three curtsies and, returning to her proper voice, says, "It is okay, Mr. Rangsey. I have to visit the toy store for something that is on sale, anyway. I will simply take a rain check."

The trainee blinks confusedly, scratching his head. "But it's not gonna rain," he says.

"... I mean we will have the tea party another time."

"Oh, right. See ya!"

After Kenny leaves she drops her proper voice again and cocks her head to one side looking after him.

"He sure can be clueless sometimes..."

* * * * *

Meanwhile at the home of the Delightful Children From Down The Lane...

"Brother, when will you cease your pacing around?" demand the blonde boy's siblings. The four of them are sitting together on a couch gazing at the remaining Delightful walking up and down, left and right in front of them contemplatively, his hand scratching his chin.

"When I come up with a plan to prove that we are superior to those Brats Next Door," he answers quickly to return to his thoughts.

"Why should we?" asks Jason (the football-helmeted kid) frustratedly. "Didn't I tell you to relax, Brandon? Sure, it's cool to be better than them and all that, but we won't have to worry about that for a while. We aren't being forced to, remember?"

"Yes, but they are bound to notice our slacking off by now. It is best to get them before they catch us on our weakest moment."

"Such as you singing in the shower?" grins Nathan (the tall, hair boy), prompting snickers from the others.

"Shut up!" growls Brandon, his cheeks glowing shades of pink. "I told you never to talk about that! It was just that _one time_, got it!?"

"Surrrrrre."

Brandon paces around some more. Then suddenly, something clicks and he snaps his fingers. "I know! How about we push them out in public and pants them all? They would be utterly humiliated and embarrassed and would not dare show their faces ever again! Ha ha... ha ha ha ha haaaaa!"

"One problem. Everyone would forget over the course of half an hour or so, if not less than that," explains Naomi. "Remember the Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine? We practically leveled the entire neighborhood, yet not a single person came out to investigate."

"Must have gotten used to our messing around..." Jason begins.

"Or they are quite unintelligent," Charlene finishes.

"Whatever," shrugs the blonde boy. "Got to think, got to think, got... to... think."

And so he thinks. And thinks. And thinks. And thinks. And thinks. And thinks. And thinks....

"A-HA!!" he bursts, snapping his siblings from their slumber. Jason nearly leaps to the ceiling. "I got it, I got the plan to make us better than they are!"

"What, what, what?" the four pry.

The blonde leans in and whispers his plan. Although his grin cannot be seen, Jason's eyes seem to light up in, well, delight.

"Sounds way better than your pantsing thing. Let's do it."

"Agreed," nods Nathan. "Just one question: Why were we whispering when we are the only ones here?"

Brandon shrugs. "I felt it would be more dramatic that way. Or something."

"Oh..."

The blonde Delightful's face twists into a grin. "So it is settled. Next stop: the toy store!"

The Delightfuls share a round of evil laughter, with all that thunder and lightning and all sorts of cartoony bad guy dramatic stuff. Then the children stop for a moment.

"Strange weather we're having."

* * * * *

"Numbuh Five, you hafta help me!" Kenny exclaims as he rushes inside Five's quarters. He halts when he sees the inside, however. With a simple "Wow" he marvels his surroundings. Now _this_ is a cool bedroom quarters! It's large, larger than Numbuh Three's room, and it has a pool table, a fireplace, living room-like couches and sofas, a computer, and even a bar at one section of the room. And, just as Numbuh One said before, she has a milkshake machine. Impressive!

But he doesn't see his friend anywhere. Kenny calls her codename a couple times desperately until she finally appears from behind the bar.

"Awright, awright, Numbuh Five is here already. Ever heard of knock before entering? We may be kids but even we think havin' some manners is a good thing."

"Sorry, but there's something I _really_ need to talk to you about, and I think you can help me out a whole lot."

"Izzat so?" she says, interested. "Well then, have a seat and we'll talk about it. And since you did good on your stealth mission, Numbuh Five'll offer you a free 'shake."

"Really? Wow, cool!" With that Kenny streaks to a stool in front of the counter in a flash. "I hope you have banana!"

"Sho', Numbuh Five has plenty a'those."

So she fills a small plastic cup with banana milkshake, grabs a straw, and hands it to Kenny, who takes it graciously.

"Remember, this one's on the house. Next time it'll cost yas ninety-nine cents."

"What? Why would you ask your own friends to pay you money??"

Five raises her cap visor a little and looks at him with a smirk.

"If I offered 'em for free, would I still _have_ the stuff?"

"Good point," nods Kenny as he takes a sip of his 'shake.

"So, what's up?" asks Five as she rests her arms on the counter.

Kenny takes one last sip before he explains. "I'll get straight to the point. I have a big-time crush on the bow girl Delightful Child!"

"... ... ...

"Her...? Man, for a while I thought you were crushin' on Numbuh Three. Or even on me. But _her_...?"

"Hey, I couldn't help it, it just happened, okay!?" the boy frowns.

"Okay, okay... the shock got t'Numbuh Five fer or a momen'. So y'got a crush on a Delightful Girl?"

"Yeah. I know I'll be in big trouble for it." Then, abruptly, the rookie switches to panic mode, "What should I do!? Help me!" He grabs Five's blue shirt, shaking her, "Help me, help me, please! You're like... you're like the sister I never had or something!"

"Aw, that's sweet. Well, I guess I should do the sisterly thing then...

"Get yer grubby paws offa my shirt!"

Kenny gently lets her go, smiling apologetically.

"So, ya got a crush on this girl and you think it could get ya in trouble. Lemme guess, you think Numbuh One would kick you out?"

"Well, yeah."

The dark girl sighs and hops over the counter, taking a seat next to Kenny sipping his milkshake nervously.

"Listen, he may be dead-serious lots of times and probably would be a bit surprised or be really concerned for you having a crush on a Delightful, but he's not a real insensitive jerk. I doubt he'd just boot you out instantly like that. But he WOULD get mad if you let your feelings for this girl get in the way of your missions; especially when yer feelings end up screwing 'em missions up and endangerin' you and/or the team."

"So... you're saying that as long as I'm careful with my personal feelings in the middle of a mission, everything would be alright?"

"Sho'. That's what I believe, anyway."

Kenny breathes a relieved sigh and smiles, distress lifted from his shoulders feeling lighter (and better) than ever. It feels real nice to have a good friend to confide to. He wonders how it would have been had he told his problems to Numbuh Two or Numbuh Four though. 'Four would probably be disgusted and would tattle right away,' thinks Kenny. 'Two would probably think it's kinda cool but would tell me to do something really naughty with her. Hehehe. Oh well.'

Numbuh Five removes her red cap and places it on the counter, facing Kenny again with a bit of a sly smile.

"Well, got the lecture outta the way. Now for the good stuff."

"Good stuff?"

"Yeah. Does this girl know you like her?"

"No."

"M'kay. I'm gonna tell you some things to get a girl to notice you and maybe even like you back.

"Be yourself. If you've seen a lotta TV shows you should know why bein' someone you aren't usually doesn't work."

Kenny listens intently as he stirs his milkshake a bit with his straw.

"Next rule: Try not to act like a big, fat, obnoxious perverted pig. Most girls don't go fo' that. And the ones that do should usually be avoided.

"Third important thing, say somethin' or give her somethin' nice. Compliment her hair or somethin', give her flowers or even some kinda gift. Most girls like that."

Kenny nods as he sips on his milkshake, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"And lastly, if ya want t'take things to some other level, like kissin' or whateva, if she says 'no' then _take no for an answer_! This one's pretty 'm'portant."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Kenny inquires as he drinks his milkshake loudly until there is no more. He then tosses it to a nearby wastebasket as Five answers him.

"Numbuh Five watches a lotta romance movies and reads romance novels. Heck, a couple boys even tried to put the moves on her in da past, and bad ones at that. She knows a lotta stuff 'bout love."

"Wow. Well, thanks a lot, Numbuh Five! You sure cheered me up and helped me big time! I dunno what I'd do without you."

"Heh, it was no big--"

Her sentence is intercepted by a sudden embrace from Kenny, overcome with emotion and relief. Five sits there and blinks, not sure what to do except smile a bit and pat him on the back gently. 'Tis not everyday someone just hugs a person out of the blue; at least to Numbuh Five.

A feeling of remembrance clicks inside Kenny and he just as quickly lets go. "Oh, I almost forgot! I gotta do some more training in a few minutes!" he says, checking his watch which conveniently appears on his wrist. "This time I hafta 'fight' Numbuh Four. Oh boy."

Kenny hops out of his seat and runs toward the door, saying, "Thanks for all your help, Numbuh Five! I'll try to keep your advice in mind!"

He leaves the scene for a moment, but then comes back sticking his head out. "Oh, Numbuh Five, that part I said about you being like a sister to me? I meant it!" Then he exits again.

Five sits there and blinks again somewhat confusedly before his words seep in completely. Her cheeks turn pinkish, feeling a little embarrassed from his comment, but she smiles anyway. Something about Kenny's compliment makes her proud.

It feels... pretty darn cool.

* * * * *

Meanwhile at the toy store...

The latest sale: Rainbow Monkey plushes and toys at half-price! Many girls wearing Rainbow Monkey shirts, all obviously fans, tear through the aisles and counters, scanning on Rainbow Monkey-related items they cannot decide on, or just snatching what they feel like wanting for the heck of it.

One of them includes, of course, Numbuh Three of the Kids Next Door. Back in her standard green sweater and all, she files through all toys related to her favorite TV show characters. She is internally proud of being the only fan to see the _real_ Rainbow Monkeys. Though she decided to keep that a secret to other fans, at least for now.

A quintet of children also enter the store. Unfortunately, it is not for the new sale. Oh, no. These children have something far greater in mind. The Delightful Children From Down The Lane step inside the store, together as a group as usual, and stop in front of the male store owner.

"My, isn't it crowded here? Perhaps _too_ crowded," drone the Children.

"Why... yes," he says, shuddering from the monotonish synchorized voices of the five. "But it's business as usual. I have so many toys in stock sometimes I just don't know what to do with 'em!"

"Ah, not to worry; we will solve that little problem of yours."

With that the pigtailed girl Naomi removes her glasses and replaces it with a strange kind. These new glasses look sorta hi-tech, with a swirly symbol as lens. Naomi presses a button on the gizmo and suddenly the swirly symbols begins to twirl round and round and round....

Soon the owner's eyes transform into a cartoonish swirl of their own, mouth gaping dumbly.

"You will not remain at this store," drones Naomi. "Instead, you will leave and... I don't know, run around like an idiot."

The owner of the toy store nods and exits slowly.

Then the Delightful Children cuff their hands to their mouths and shout, "Everyone! There is a sale at the _other_ toy store that cuts the prices of ALL toys by half! Better get them while you can!"

Immediately the kids run screaming and streaming out of the store, with only disappointment awaiting them.

That is, all kids except Numbuh Three, who recognizes those voices. And when she whirls around to confirm her suspicion she gasps and ducks behind a shelf.

"Now then, let us begin shall we?"

The blonde boy Brandon produces a remote and messes with its controls. Small pods streak in having claws clutching onto large wooden boxes.

Numbuh Three pokes her head out just a bit, watching the scene before her. She curiously wonders what they are doing before backing down and reaching her PIPER.

* * * * *

Numbuh One sits there in his room, pondering about the info Kenny gave him about the Delightful Children. Seeing them separate and not as a group? Not talking like zombies? Could Numbuh Two be right in saying that the death of their father has something to do with it? Could Numbuh Five be right that perhaps his control over them is fading? Or perhaps has already faded completely?

The destruction of the Delightful Children's father is sort of a good thing. They will not have to fear him anymore, that's for sure. But what about the Children themselves? With their father gone, would they be softer now? Or, perhaps, would they be tougher than before?

Whichever it may be, the Delightful Children have not attacked as frequently as they used to. In fact, they haven't done anything ever since that incident last week. If they continue this infrequency perhaps he will be able to spend more time with--

"Numbuh One, Numbuh One, come in!" a muffled voice rings into One's ears.

His train of thoughts screeching to a halt, One grumbles as he swipes the PIPER from under his shirt. "Hello?"

"Hi, Numbuh One!" says the cheerful voice of Numbuh Three. "This store is so neato! There's a Rainbow Monkey sale, an' gosh there are SO MANY Rainbow Monkey stuff! It's like totally cool and... and... oh, and the Delightful Children are here, too!"

"... The Delightful Children want to buy toys. Can't see anything wrong with that."

"Well, they sent ev'ryone outta the store an' they're bringing in these big boxes... Kinda weird thing for 'em to do just to buy something."

"Hmm. All right, you just sit tight. We'll be on our way."

Numbuh One 'hangs up' the PIPER and adjusts his glasses. Now he'll get see the 'new' Delightful Children for himself.

* * * * *

At the training room...

"C'mon, rookie, hit me!" taunts Numbuh Four as Kenny frustratedly takes another swing at him with the plastic toy bat. But Four successfully dodges.

"Hey batta batta batta, SWING batta batta batta!"

"Argh!" cries Kenny as he attacks only to miss again.

"I see yer problem, rookie! Yer lettin' yer frustrations get to ya, so you can't focus that good on yer attacks. I should know, I get like that, too. What you should do is calm down 'n' concentrate. Heck, you could even wait for the enemy to be distracted and--"

A plastic-sounding *WHACK* echoes as Numbuh Four is knocked back some feet away. Kenny smiles as he twirls his bat expertly while the other boy looks at him for a moment then smirks.

"Now you're gettin' it!"

Four once again finds himself admitting Kenny is getting better and better. No longer is he a scaredy-cat crybaby. Now he's a _good_ scaredy-cat crybaby.

Just then Numbuh Two enters the training room.

"Guys, we gotta go," he says. "Numbuh One wants us."

"What's up?" Four asks.

"Numbuh Three called him from the toy store. It's the Delightful Children. They seem to be doing some 'weird things' in there. He wants all of us to check it out."

Kenny's nervousness envelopes him at the word 'Delightful Children.' "Um, it's all five of them... right?"

"Yep. The blonde boy, the helmet kid, the gal with glasses, the tall dude, and the girl with the pink bow."

The heart of the trainee races, the legs of the trainee wobbles, and the forehead of the trainee sweats. Charlene... Charlene will be there. His crush will be there. The very thing that could get him in trouble will be there. 'What if... what if Numbuh One finds out that I really like Charlene? I... I don't know what to do. I hope Numbuh Five'd be right about him... Oh man, oh man, oh man....'

"You okay, Ken?" asks a concerned Numbuh Four, noticing Kenny's state.

Kenny doesn't know how to answer. He wouldn't feel too good telling Four what's _really_ bothering him, either. He could lie but Numbuh Four would probably find out eventually, and that'll make things worse...

"Oh, I get it!" Four smiles. "First-battle jitters, eh? We all had that once but we got over it quick. So maybe you would, too." Four pats Kenny on the back as he follows Two.

"...Phew..."

* * * * *

The five dash down to the toy store as quickly as they can (it isn't that far away so there wasn't a need for a vehicle), armed with their 2x4 Technology shooter-type weapons. On their way there they see a man running around like an idiot in the middle of the street, creating quite a scene.

"What's with him?" says Numbuh Four, scratching his head.

The others just shrug.

Meanwhile at the store, Numbuh Three has successfully been elusive to the Delightfuls but she is running out of hiding spots. 'This's kinda like Hide-and-Seek... only I _really_ don't wanna be seeked!' she says in her mind.

"Ah, here's the last of the toys!" chorus the Children. "Time to grab us these Rainbow Monkeys!"

As soon as they completed their second sentence, a loud gasp escapes from Numbuh Three. She didn't get a chance to buy any of the Rainbow Monkey stuff, and now _they're_ going to have it for themselves!

She made her presence known with her gasp, but she doesn't care. She stands and puts her oversleeved hands (or fists?) on her hips disapprovingly.

"Well if it isn't Numbuh Three of the Kids Next Door!" drone the five Children.

"No fair, I didn't get any of the Rainbow Monkey things!"

"Oh boo-hoo," they taunt. "That is just too bad. What are you going to do? Cry like a little baby? Well, you wouldn't dare challenge us. It's the numbers game, and we win."

"We were playing a game?" the ebony-haired girl blinks.

Just then the rest of the Kids Next Door burst into the store with Kenny at the rear. They are surprised to see it almost completely empty, with the exception of some wooden boxes. Numbuh Three smiles and waves at her friends as she joins them.

But the Delightfuls do not seem to be fazed by the Kids' presence. Instead, they just smile their evil smile.

"Greetings, Kids Next Door. We were hoping we would see you again." Then they frown. "Of course, we did not appreciate our tortilla chips being stolen. We were going to watch an exquisite movie with them as our snack!"

"Yeah, isn't that funny?" laughs Numbuh Five.

"Hey, don't talk to us about it, talk to him," says Numbuh Four as he steps back and pushes poor Kenny (who yells "Hey!") to the front.

"You!" the Delightfuls exclaim.

"Yeah... heh.... me... uhhhh..."

Just as he expected, his strange feelings erupt once again at the sight of the bow girl, Charlene. He almost faints right there at that very spot. If only he wasn't in such a tight spot, he would love to daydream about her all day. Yes, daydream... Her, napping in the middle of a field of flowers, the sunlight shining down on her pretty form making her appear like a fairy tale princess. And her, asking him to lie down with her....

"Yo Kenny!" Numbuh Four snaps him out of his would-be daydream. "Are you sure 'bout what you said? They seem to be the same to me!"

"Huh!? Oh, uh... I know what I saw."

Kenny shakes his head to regain his senses and tries to focus. Meanwhile Numbuh Four stomps over to the enemies and laughs.

"See? Still their zombie selves, never separate from each other! Geez, you'd think they're one being or something. Ha ha ha! See, watch!"

Numbuh Four laughs as he playfully pokes the girl in glasses.

"I could poke this girl all day and--"

"I demand that you quit that, boy!"

She doesn't even finish her demand before Numbuh Four screams in an uncharacterstic high-pitched tone and backs off in fright, dropping on his behind. The other original KND gasp as they, too, take a step back. Numbuh Two is visibly shaking. They keep telling themselves that they didn't hear right... That what they just saw and heard was only their imagination.

"I wouldn't make her angry if I were you, heh heh heh!" 'advises' the football helmeted boy in a taunting tone.

The boy's words confirm it. They are _not_ imagining it. They truly have heard two of the Delightful Children speak _individually_!

The only one who isn't surprised is, of course, Kenny Rangsey himself. He does find slight amusement in his friends' reactions, though.

"What's the matter, Kids Next Door? You seem surprised," laughs the blonde boy.

Numbuh One is the first to recover from his shock and he tries to answer. "Well... uh... it's just that... we're so used to hearing you talk simultaneously."

"Huh? Oh, that. Father taught us to speak in unity and made it a rule for us to do so. But since he is no longer with us we do not have to anymore."

Numbuh Three is the next to recover. "So, why're you still doing it?"

"Why?" chorus the Delightfuls. "Because seeing how creeped you get when we do is fun!"

All the KND, even Kenny, stand there and blink confusedly.

"Ooookaaaaaay," says Numbuh One. "So, um... what are you doing here?"

"Ah, I was hoping we would get to that!" says the blonde boy Brandon enthusiastically. "We're here to steal all these toys, thus we will have way more toys than you do! Heh heh... ha ha ha ha haaaaaa!"

The original five Kids Next Door stare in disbelief.

"That's it? That's your latest plan?" says Numbuh Two.

"They must be losin' their touch or something," says Numbuh Five.

"Exactly _why_ have you gotten so greedy for toys all of a sudden?" Numbuh One demands.

Kenny turns around and shyly responds, "Well, that boy thinks he and his brothers an' sisters are way better than you guys and wants to prove it so."

"Oh, is THAT right!?" frowns the leader, storming over to the blonde Deligthful boy.

"Yes, I believe it is," smirks Brandon.

"There is NO way you can be better than us!" shouts the KND commander, getting into the other boy's face. "We beat you so many times I lost count!"

"True. But we occassionally had our victories as well. The day that I turned you into an adult with the age-changing device was certainly a glorious one!"

His blood suddenly boiling, Numbuh One grabs the collar of Brandon's suit, almost surprising his friends. "It certainly wasn't glorious to me! How DARE you turn me into an adult! I had the most miserable two weeks of my life and I almost dropped my friends like a bad habit!"

Brandon just snickers and frees himself from Numbuh One's grasp. "My my, it appears I struck a nerve. I bet you are still mad about us destroying your headquarters as well?"

"Our Treehouse isn't just our headquarters, it's our HOME!" shouts Numbuh Five angrily. "And we really didn't like it when you reduced it to a pile of rubble!"

"Oh!? How did you think WE felt when you sliced OUR home in half with a giant butterknife!?" the Delightful Children shoot back, annoyed.

"Uh... guys?" Kenny pipes in a small voice, "I don't know what's been going on with y'all, but aren't we supposed to be stopping each other or something right now?"

"Ah, yes. I believe we were in the middle of taking these toys for ourselves. Um... who are you again, chip-thief? I certainly do not ever remember seeing you with these fools before. Are you a Kid Next Door as well?"

"Well... not really..." says Kenny, folding his arms behind him shyly. "I'm just a trainee. I'm new to this thing."

"Ah!" the Delightfuls chorus in monotone mode. "Well then, Kid Next Door Trainee-- Welcome to the war!"

With that Brandon presses some random buttons on a remote he produces from his pocket, and the small pods that were carrying the wooden boxes suddenly reveal muzzles of a minor laser gun. Numbuhs One, Two, Four and Five immediately arm their weapons while Numbuh Three grabs the nearest weapon she can find-- a doll.

Kenny takes that as his cue to arm his weapon (a vegetable shooter), trying to look as intimidating as possible. Which is not that much.

"Well then, Kids Next Door, it appears it is time for yet another--"

"Rainbow Monkey sale, Rainbow Monkey sale!"

The squeal of a familiar and uninvited voice sends an annoyed chill through all five Kids and all five Children. From the entrance emerges...

"Laura Lumpin..." grumbles Numbuh Five.

"Heeeeey!" Laura skips past the five and looks around curiously. "What happened to all the toys 'n' stuff!?"

Not wanting any trouble from this girl Brandon immediately switches the droid pods back into cargo mode. He presses some buttons and the droids begin lifting the boxes out of the store. The Kids Next Door immediately begin firing -- with Numbuh Three throwing the doll, running to get it back, then repeating -- but the wooden boxes being held and the presence of someone who can flatten them like pancake are impairing their aim.

"OOOOoooo, pretty lights!" squeals Laura, watching the display of light rays flying around.

Kenny spots the Delightful Children jumping as high as they can on top of a box. The tall child has no trouble with it. However, the sandy blonde girl slips and falls.

Making her wide open to rayfire. And right in Kenny's field of vision.

"Yo Kenny, nail 'er!" shouts Numbuh Four as he fires on a pod trying to stop it from carrying the stolen toys out of the store.

Charlene watches him as Kenny aims the vegetable shooter directly at her.

But Kenny doesn't pull the trigger.

"What're you standing there for!?" yells Numbuh One. "These little robots are distracting us! _You_ handle the Delightfuls before they get away!"

The index finger holding the trigger trembles. His legs wobble. And swear forms on his forehead. Even when Charlene recovers and stands back up he still is unable to shoot. Or, he still doesn't want to shoot. Those strange feelings that a little boy having a crush feels get to Kenny once again and he loses his focus.

"I... I can't!"

"You can't what!?" yells Numbuh One, jumping away from an incoming droid that would have rammed him with its box.

"I... I CAN'T ATTACK HER!" Kenny cries, collapsing on one knee and dropping his weapon.

"WHAT!?" Numbuhs One, Two, and Four holler wonderously.

Charlene doesn't know what's going on but she takes this opportunity to climb back on top of the container with her siblings assisting her.

"We will be going now," drone the Delightful Children. "Sorry we couldn't stay much longer. Oh, and Mr. Kid Next Door Trainee... thanks a lot! Hehehehe!"

And with that they flee, along with the rest of the robots as none of the KND could stop them with their weapons.

Laura, who was watching the battle the entire time, puts a curious finger on her lips, digging the sole of her shoe on the floor. She then walks away when she has a strange feeling that things will not go well here.

Her feeling is correct, for Numbuhs Four and especially One glare at the rookie Kenny, who bows his head in shame.

"What the heck happened to you, rookie!?" yells the Aussie. "You had that girl in point-blank range and you let 'er get away!"

"Yeah dude, you froze stiffer than an icicle," Numbuh Two comments.

"You better explain yourself right now, Kenny..." the British-accented boy glares, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

Kenny opens his mouth to speak but he is so badly nervous and scared his words barely reach past the whisper level.

"Well? I'm waiting."

Numbuh Three looks at the two worriedly. Numbuh Five puts her hand on Numbuh One's shoulder and says softly, "Hey, leader-man, it was his first fight. Maybe he was just really nervous and--"

"I believe I asked KENNY for an explanation, Numbuh Five."

Five backs away obediently, concerned eyes looking towards Kenny's direction.

Kenny stares at the ground, clenching his fists, a tear rolling down his cheek. He thought he was safe, he thought he was homefree. But it appears it is not meant to be. He had a feeling deep inside that this moment would come sooner or later. He just wishes it was later.

So, summoning all his remaining courage and turning his head away from the others' eyes, he mumbles, "I... I... I..."

"You what?" says One, tapping his foot repeatedly.

"I... I... I got a crush on that girl with the pink bow!"

His reluctant confession brings out a disbelieving "What!?" from Numbuh Four, an interested look from Numbuh Two, an even more worrisome expression from Numbuh Three, a concerned face from Numbuh Five who lowers her cap visor...

And an unhappy look from Numbuh One.

"WHAT!? They're gone!"

The others look over to see Laura crying over the missing Rainbow Monkey accessories.

"Those mean rich kids must have taken 'em! And..."

She whirls to Kenny, pointing at him accusingly. "And... YOU let 'em get away with it! You let them get away!"

Suddenly Laura's body appears to make wild-take convulsions as her voice becomes eerily deeper.

"You... let... _them_... _get_... _AWAY_!!"

And with the word "AWAY!!" Laura transforms into her alter ego:

The Big Badolescent! Much to the shock of Kenny, who, being new in town, has never met her before. The rest of the KND can only watch.

"YOU LET MEANIES GET AWAY! NOW I POUND YOU LIKE MASHED POTATOES!"

She raises her fists high in the air, aiming towards Kenny's face. Kenny's jaw drops open in fright as he can only mumble two words:

"Oh... crap..."

And the pounding is unleashed.

* * * * *  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Chapter Six

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...  
  
Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Six  
  
**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades  
  
Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

After an unpleasant defeat at the toy store by their enemies, the Kids Next Door returned to their Treehouse. A troubled Kenny holds an ice pack covering the majority of his face, which received punishment from Laura Lumpin's vicious form, The Big Badolescent.

The Kids Next Door minus Numbuh One are in the same room, the living room, with him. Numbuhs Two, Three, and Five stare as Numbuh Four paces back and forth in front of the Badolescent's victim.

"So yer sayin' that ever since that sneaking mission you fell for that Delightful dork?" asks Numbuh Four, strong Australian accent evident.

"Uh-huh..." mumbles the other boy, still groaning from the pain.

"Awright, then... Why? What's so good 'bout her that made you like her that much, huh?"

Kenny just shrugs. "Dunno. Happened as soon as I saw her."

"Great. Love at first sight." He shows his opinion on it by sticking his tongue out and pointing his finger to it.

"Eh, I don't blame ya for falling for her, Kenny," says Numbuh Two, smiling. "I always thought she was kinda cute."

"Aw man, you too!?" says Numbuh Five, crossing her arms. "What IS it wit' that girl that you guys see in her?"

"Relax, I'm not falling for her. Plus, I was trying to cheer Kenny up."

Numbuh Four smirks at the dark girl's outburst. "Geez, Numbuh Five, no need to get so jealous."

"Jealous? Ppptttbttt, puh-leeze!"

"Poor Kenny..." says a downed Numbuh Three, surveying the damages done to the boy. "Want me to kiss your lil' boo-boos so they'd feel all better?"

"Thanks, but I don't think it'll help me for what's coming next."

Just then, Numbuh One emerges from the entrance of his bedroom quarters. With a stern expression he makes a "Come here" motion with his finger.

"Speaking of which..."

Kenny sighs, tosses the ice pack to the nearest operative, and follows Numbuh One to his room. The rest of the Kids stare after them... debating whether or not to eavesdrop.

* * * * *

Kenny, sitting on a chair in front of a desk, wrings his perspiring hands as he becomes interested with the perfectly sturdy wooden floor, shame and nervousness attacking him from all angles. He hasn't felt this nervous or even afraid since that darned math test back at school. Though at school he had the bell to aid his escape. Here, however, there is no escape, and escape attempts probably should not even be considered; no need to bring himself into even further trouble...

Numbuh One stands staring out the window beside the desk, his arms folded behind him in his usual way.

With a heavy sigh and without turning to face Kenny, he says calmly, "So, Kenny, mind explaining what happened back there?"

"We... had a mission failure..." squeaks Kenny. Somehow Numbuh One not even facing him makes him feel even more nervous.

"Right. And why is that?"

"Because I have a crush on an enemy, and that is wrong."

"... that's not it at all, Kenny."

"Huh?"

Numbuh One turns around and walks in front of the desk in front of Kenny, facing him with a serious but knowing look. He calmly places his hands on the desk and sighs.

"I know how it is like to be in love."

"You do??" says Kenny, surprised.

"Yes. I have a girlfriend of my own, named Lizzie. When I saw her for the first time I didn't think too much about her. But then, after several meetings and getting to know each other..." He produces a small photo of Lizzie, who is giving a peace sign and a cute smile that seems to say 'You're ALL mine, Nigey!' "I started experiencing feelings I never experienced before."

"Did your heart beat fast?"

"Mmhm..." he says, dreamily looking at the picture.

"Did your palms become sweaty?"

"Mmhm..."

"Did your legs feel like they could give out?"

"Mmhm..."

"Did any of those other signs of a crush happened that I don't feel like listing anymore?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" the leader shouts all giddy.

"That's exactly what I felt when I saw Charlene! Wow, we both like someone. We finally have something in common! ... Numbuh One?"

Numbuh One is humming as he continues to stare mesmerizingly at the photo. He is obviously daydreaming about the girl in the picture...

"Hey Numbuh One!"

"Wha!? Oh, uh, heh, sorry!"

He returns the picture to its rightful place and stands in front of the rookie again.

"So, uh, you're going to boot me out for falling for a Delightful Child or what?"

"Boot you out?" Numbuh One looks at him incredulously. "For a crush? Why would I boot someone out for that? Even if one of my teammate's crush IS an enemy, particularly one of the Delightful Children, I wouldn't take them out of the Kids Next Door for that."

"You don't mind me liking-liking her?"

"Well, I do find it a bit strange to see someone in love with any of those goody-goody dorks, but otherwise... nah."

Kenny breathes a relieved sigh, sinking in his chair in new relaxation...

"--BUT!"

Kenny shoots right back up and looks nearly panicked as Numbuh One walks around the desk to stand by Kenny's side, crossing his arms and staring down at him like a leader would his comrade when they do something not so good.

"What I DO mind is that your little distractions and loss of complete concentration and focus allowed the Delightful Children to get away with the toys, depriving innocent kids of them all!"

Kenny can't help but *gulp!*

"I may be in love, too, but I learned to set that aside as best as I can during a mission and retain my focus."

"That's easier said than done, you know!" frowns Kenny. "Besides, you never had to actually ATTACK your crush!"

The commander pauses and then coughs sheepishly.

"Okay, okay, point. But you still had to have known what was on the line. Remember, she was an enemy on the battlefield."

Kenny looks down, kicking his legs, and nods agreeably. Seeing his current state, the bald one sighs and puts a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

"Listen, everyone makes mistakes, even Kids Next Door. We've all had to deal with errors our whole lives as operatives. But people who make mistakes often learn from them. And I would like you to do the same.

"I don't mean stop having a crush on that girl. I mean keep your focus on the battlefield _in spite_ of your crush. You will learn to do so in no time, trust me."

Kenny takes in the commander's advice slowly and carefully. Smiling, he nods in understanding and says he'll try.

"Good."

Numbuh One smiles proudly at the trainee and walks to the entrance of his room. When he opens the door he takes a sidestep as Numbuhs Two and Four fall over in a two-person pile. They glance up at their glaring leader and they laugh sheepishly.

"Heh heh... lunch is ready!" says Numbuh Two nervously.

* * * * *

The next few hours in the afternoon pass by pretty much uneventfully. Uneventfully as in no new missions to take care of, for it was very eventful for the rookie. Kenny Rangsey's training becomes tougher and more complicated than ever, making him feel like he's being punished for causing the mission's failure. Throughout the afternoon training...:

In the training room Numbuh One has him shoot targets blindfolded to practice using his 'instinct' in cases where your sight is impaired in some way. Not an easy task.

At the base's ports Numbuh Two teaches Kenny how to ride their vehicles. Then finds himself almost crying each time whenever Kenny nearly crashes due to his terrible driving.

Back in the training area Numbuh Four forces Kenny to once again train in hand-to-hand combat. Four decided to hold nothing back this time, and Kenny almost runs away screaming from his ferociousness. Kenny finally gives in but not without a bit of scolding for allowing the enemy the pleasure of their opponent's submitting.

Still in the same area Numbuh Five trains him some more in the sneaking department, such as avoiding searchlights, guards (they use fake wooden adult robots as their pretend guards), and cameras. Way easier said than done, certainly tougher than his first 'real' mission in the Delightful Children's mansion. He literally had to flatten himself against the wall just to evade those blasted searchlights!

Even Numbuh Three has him working it hard, being mostly pressured by Numbuh One. Back in the plains area where Kenny first learned how to be dropped down from a capsule, she has him running around in a track-and-field course, but with a twist. Besides the usual obstacles he must also duck and dodge the projectiles from their 2x4-style ray guns grafted on the field! Obviously this whole course is meant for Kenny to practice escaping a hectic enemy base. Fortunately he has Numbuh Three, in a cute little athletic getup, run along with him, cheering him along the way.

When all that is _finally_ over Kenny is given a break. He crashes to his room and falls on his back on his bed.

'Man, training was tough today!' he thinks. 'It's a good thing they were each with me through the whole thing or I would've been lost! I wonder if they _are_ being harder on me because of what happened earlier today?'

As his mind floods back into the events at the toy store, he begins to ponder about the apparent rivalry between the Kids Next Door and the Delightful Children. Why are they fighting? How long have they been fighting? Is there _any_ chance of them making up and maybe even becoming friends anytime soon?

Then his mind flashes to Charlene. Now that the others are wise to his feelings toward her he does not need to worry about hiding them anymore. There's still the matter of _handling_ those feelings, though... as well as finding a way to express them to his actual crush.

"That's it!" Kenny shouts, shooting up in bed. "The best way to make me feel better about all this is if I were to tell Charlene herself how I feel about her! Then I can concentrate much better on becoming a Kid Next Door!"

But then another negative thought strikes the shy boy.

"But... What if she doesn't like me back? What if she hates me? She probably already does now that she knows I'm with the Kids Next Door..."

But he shakes his head, frowning.

"No, I can't let negative thoughts get to me. I must go through with this. But if confessing my feelings really _doesn't_ work... then perhaps my consolation prize would be to at least attempt in bringing a little peace between the Delightfuls and my friends. Or at least try to find out why they fight and how long they've been going at it. But how AM I'm going to do all that, anyway? I'd have to go to their mansion. Simply asking Numbuh One just won't do.... Oh, man," Kenny shakes his head in disbelief, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this...."

Moments later, the door opens and Numbuh Three merrily strolls in carrying a small tray with milk and cookies.

"Hi, Kenny," she says sweetly as she enters, "you must be really hungry from all that hard training today, so I thought you'd like a... snack?"

But Kenny isn't there.

* * * * *

It's the early evening and in the large living room, the Kids Next Door's rivals delight in their precious new toys that they "got" from the store. Well, except for Naomi, who decides to spend this time reading yet another book nearby, sitting on a plush chair, lamp light shining down on the reading material.

"You see, my siblings, it was all worth it!" says a proud Brandon, making moves with his navy blue yo-yo.

"You got that right!" agrees the football-helmeted Jason, blasting away on his new GameKid Neo. "Man, the graphics are sweet on this thing!"

"I'm confident we have way more toys than those Fools Next Door now. Ha. That'll show them how much better we are."

Charlene, however, barely listens to the gloating of her leaderly brother. Instead, she just sighs, gets up and starts toward the stairs.

"Where are you going? You hardly touched your new hoola-hoop."

"I'm a little tired from all that has happened today," she says in her light yet mature voice. "I think I will take a little nap."

"At nighttime?" Jason replies, his obscure eyes staring in confusion. "Well, all right. But don't be late for dinner; it's the first time we get to enjoy a whole pizza without you-know-who!"

"It's the first time we get to _enjoy_ a pizza, period," Brandon corrects.

So Charlene nods and continues onward to where she said she wanted to go to. Not bothering to kick off her shoes she collapses unto her bed, rests her head on the double pillows and pulls the covers over her. But more is on her mind than a quick nap. Like will the tension between Brandon and Nigel she saw earlier today continue? And why didn't that new kid, Kenny, attack her when he had the chance? Not that there is any complaint that he is the reason she and her siblings got away. And lastly... will Jason try to order those yucky anchovies?

These questions gradually fade away as she cuddles a random Rainbow Monkey on her bed and her eyelids become heavier.

* * * * *

"Ohhhh, I just know I'm gonna get into big trouble for this!" Kenny exclaims to himself as he stares up at the Delightfuls' mansion. He has a tie-dyed backpack strapped on, the same backpack he wore on his very first mission. "I seemed to've more guts than brains to actually ditch the Treehouse! I wonder if they've noticed I'm gone yet? Oh well, can't think about that now."

Kenny peeks into the window by the entrance doors. He can just barely spot the boy Delightfuls playing with their newly-gained toys, and that glasses girl once again reading. But Charlene is nowhere in sight.

The rookie makes an assumption that the girl he seeks must be in her bedroom. So he produces from his backpack four suction cups all hooked by leather straps. After equipping them on his hands and knees, he takes a breath and scales the mighty household. He first checks the lower levels as he crawls on the walls, peeking inside the windows. Avoiding detection, all he manages to run into are the reading room, a hallway, a bathroom, and the kitchen. Maybe there's more, he's not sure.

Then he rememembers that when homes have an upstairs the bedrooms are usually on the upper level. So Kenny scales the walls to that direction. Familiarity to something or someone strikes him during this task but he ignores it as he inspects one window. Looking around he can see that it is a room that is obviously a girl's bedroom.

Kenny taps on the window twice and calls. "Charlene? Charlene, are you in there?"

Kenny presses his face against the window to get a further look inside, and... Bingo! There, in that very bed, is what he can barely make out to be the princess he's been searching for, thanks to the pink bow.

"Zzzzz... Mmmm... Backalley Boys... Mmm... ZZZzzz...." Kenny can very barely hear her mumble.

"She's asleep," Kenny whispers. "So how am I gonna get in there?"

"ZZZzz... you wanna come in..." she mumbles, blushing a bit in her sleep. "Okay... Zzzz... the window's lock... doesn't work well... you can open easy... Gotta... get... fixed... Zzzzzz...."

Kenny blinks a few times, not sure of what to say to the hint the girl somehow gave him. Then he easily opens the window after a little work and hops right in, removing the suction cups and placing them inside his backpack.

His cheeks turn shades of pink as he peers down at the sleeping beauty before him.

'Gosh, she's so pretty...' he says in his mind with a smile. 'Okay, Kenny, one mistake can either cost you your chance of her liking you back... or it could cost you your life. So what are you going to do?

'Hmm. I'll stand on her bed over her and.... No... she'd freak out if she saw some weirdo standing on her bed when she woke up. I know I would. Mmm... Maybe I could prod her a bit and hide. Then come out when she's totally woken up. But how do I do it without scaring her silly?

'C'mon, Kenny, think, think... Hey, I know!'

Backing away from the sleeping girl some, he clears his throat and shouts in a dramatic voice, "Wow, Charlene, there's a Backalley Boy right here in your room! Wake up, quick!"

Kenny takes off just before the girl snaps awake and jumps out of bed. "Justy!!" she almost excitedly squeals uncharacteristically. But a look around tells her that 'Justy' is nowhere to be found. "Huh?"

As the bow girl stands there confusedly, Kenny comes from hiding and sneaks behind and covers the eyes of the slightly older girl.

"Peekaboo!" he smiles playfully.

"Um... waitaminute... A Backalley Boy wouldn't come into my bedroom in the middle of the night... Who's there!?"

"Guess," Kenny says.

Charlene frowns a bit. "Brandon, if that's you pulling another of your stupid pranks..."

"Nope, not him. Guess again," Kenny giggles in a little boyish way.

"Okay... The voice is too high and girly for Jason..."

"HEY!" Kenny frowns indignantly, uncovering the girl's eyes. "I resent that!"

Charlene turns around and is surprised to discover who her visitor is. "Hold on... You're that Kid Next Door!"

She suddenly grabs under her pillow and reveals why it looked unusually lumpy. In her hand is a medium-sized ray gun of some sort.

"Wow!" marvels Kenny. "When Numbuh Two said some girls have big guns he wasn't kidding!"

Charlene ignores his comment and aims her weapon at the rookie. The boy gulps and stares at both the ray gun and his crush. "Hey, you sleep with that under your pillow!?"

"I lost a tooth the other day and Brandon wanted me to hold up the tooth fairy."

"Heh, that's pretty funny," Kenny snickers.

"And profitable if it works," Charlene can't help but smile as well. "You realize how many quarters a tooth fairy has?"

"I heard some tooth fairies give you a dollar."

"Seriously? Maybe I should have brought a bigger ray gun."

"Yeah, probabl-- Hey, wait! We're making conversation with each other!"

Charlene blinks for a second and then exclaims in sudden realization, "Hey... you're right! What am I doing!? HELP!!! Someone's in my room right now!!"

Kenny frustratedly covers her mouth and scowls. "Quiet! You'll get me in even more trouble!"

"You're an intruder in my home!" Charlene responds from behind Kenny's hand. "Also, when you cover someone's mouth, you should press _against_ the mouth so they can't talk!"

Kenny turns his head when he vaguely hears the concerned footsteps and voices of the other four enemies. Kenny faces the girl again and speaks as seriously as possible. "Now listen here and listen good. I don't want any problems with your siblings, especially since I'm a Kid Next Door... even if I am a rookie. So, if you don't want my friends on your tails, you wouldn't get me in further trouble, and you won't scream again when I uncover your mouth, okay? I came all the way here to talk to you, and I'm trying really, really hard to hold in my dumb bashfulness around a pretty girl like you!"

"... Pretty??" Charlene blushes, surprised.

Kenny stops, uncovers her hand and backs away as he realizes what he just said. "Uh... I just unwittingly confessed my feelings before I even confessed 'em, huh?"

"Feelings?"

"Yeah. See... I like you. A lot."

The bow girl doesn't know what to say. Rubbing her hand under her elliptical chin contemplatingly she stutters for a bit. Meanwhile the voices and footsteps are becoming closer.

"Umm... Um.... NEVER MIND!! IT WAS A BAD DREAM!!!"

And with Charlene's very abrupt shout the annoyed grumblings of the Delightfuls and their steps are heard fading away.

"Warn me when you do that," Kenny groans, rubbing his ear painfully. "Now, where was I? Um, I like you a lot, Charlene," he shyly continues, scratching behind his head.

"And you came all the way up here... to tell me that..."

"Yeah, mostly. No, most definitely." He decides to get to the _other_ reason he's here later.

The source of Kenny's affections sinks down on her bed as his words penetrate through her mind, stunned and at a loss for words.

"Wow... I've never... I mean... No one... not even my siblings..."

"What do you mean?" says Kenny, sitting down beside Charlene and filled with curiousity.

"Well, my 'Father,' he wasn't a very kind person. I don't think he ever said two kind words to any of us. My siblings and I are close... but we don't really know what to do... So I don't think we're as close as we could be."

"Well, your dad is gone now, right?" the boy says. "Maybe this's the time when you guys can become closer. Y'know, like real brothers and sisters."

"But that's just it, we don't know what real brothers and sisters are like..." she replies softly. As she says this her hostility towards her 'enemy' fades like the wind, her voice softens like a pillow, and her normally blank, emotionless bright blue eyes gradually become more and more watery.

"Really?" Kenny asks. "Your father never taught you? He never let you guys have any fun or gave you presents or even love or anything like that?"

"... no ..." she says, barely above a whisper. A sad tear streams slowly down her cheek. "None of those things. He never gave us anything *sniff* out of the goodness of his heart... if he even had one. Not even *sob* that new cat plush I've always wanted; he was always all business with us. I doubt he even cared for us. In fact... whenever we majorly fail in destroying the Kids Next Door, he punishes us... s-s-severely."

The Delightful girl's body trembles in sorrow and in the horrid memories of her father's harsh punishment inflicted on her and her siblings; memories she wish would just vanish like they never happened.

The Kid Next Door trainee solemnly stares at the sobbingly girl beside him, overcome with sympathy and anger. Sympathy for the Delightful Children and most of all Charlene, anger for the things their 'father' had done and did not do. He's filled with so much of both that he does not seem to notice or care that the Kids Next Door stated that the Delightfuls have little to no emotions.

Taking a bold step, he slowly reaches out until he has his hand cupped over the little girl's soft, smooth hand. She does not resist.

"That's... That's terrible."

Charlene doesn't respond except with more sniffling. Kenny wishes there is something he can do. Something to make her feel better.

Anything...

"Um, Charlene? Is it okay if I do something your father never would?"

"*sniff* What?"

He responds with yet another bold move... by hugging her affectionately. Charlene's eyes widen, perplexed, and she blushes feverishly. But she doesn't attempt to break the embrace. She just lets him hug her for what feels like an hour even though it has only been several seconds. Something about this moment brings out a feeling inside. A warm, comfortable feeling that she very rarely experiences... if she ever experienced it before at all.

Kenny reluctantly lets go and looks at the girl, concerned. "You better now, pretty gal?"

Charlene smiles, teary-eyed. "Yes... a little bit."

Kenny returns the smile. "Then I feel better, too."

* * * * *

Meanwhile downstairs...

"Brandon, isn't it pizza time yet?" Jason inquires impatiently.

"Yes, it is. It's getting close to the time the movie comes on, so let's order now."

"Execellent," says Naomi, who finally decided to join her brothers. "Remember to order two boxes. And a pizza just wouldn't be the same without pepperoni."

"Yes, I know. I suppose one box could have sausage topping, too. But what extra topping should the second one have?"

"How about ham?" Nathan the tall boy suggests.

"Or extra cheese?" Jason pipes in.

"Why not extra sauce?" says Naomi.

"Because the sauce won't matter when you're tasting that delicious cheese melting in your mouth! Ahhhhhhh... the power of cheese!"

Brandon the blonde boy fingers his chin contemplatively.

"This is a tough choice to make," he says. "Perhaps we should ask Charlene for her opinion. Yes, that would be a good idea."

* * * * *

"Hey Kenny... may I ask you something?" Charlene asks, idly playing with her precious locks, much to Kenny's admiration.

"Sure, what?"

"Why do you want to be a Kid Next Door? It's dangerous work and you can land into lots of trouble; especially since you're fighting against those you are supposed to obey."

"One, to finally have friends. Two, to prove myself. And most of all, three, the same reason as the other Kids Next Door. Didn't they tell you?"

"To fight for kids' rights and freedom..." she sighs as if repeating something she has heard too many times, which she probably has.

"That's right. And aren't you kids, too? Why are you fighting those who are trying to save you?"

"Because we _obey_ adults like children should, and we don't go fighting them like you Kids Next Door do, for we know how much trouble we would get into. We are order as you are to chaos. I guess you can say we are polar opposites. So... we oppose each other like opposites do."

"So that's why," Kenny nods. "Tell me something, though. Are you and your brothers and sister doing all that because that's what you truly believe in? Or are you just doing this because your father told you so?"

Charlene opens her mouth... but not one word comes out. She slowly closes it and looks down with a bit of a frown.

"Now that's just weird. You hated your dad yet you're still doing things he told you to do. How ironic."

"W-W-Well...! We're the _Delightful Children_! I mean, if we just up and went on your crusade we would not be the Delightful Children From Down The Lane, we would be... we would be..."

"Kids Next Door," Kenny finishes for her.

"Yes..." She sighs and flops on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Now you see? It is because of what we stand for that we are fighting. It has always been that way; ever since they first appeared."

Hearing that Kenny, too, flops down onto the softness of the girl's bed, staring at the ceiling and sighing. 'Well, there goes the chance of making peace between the Kids Next Door and the Delightful Children,' he says to himself. 'Oh well. I guess they won't make-up anytime soon. But I hope they would someday. Besides, it can't be _that_ bad. I mean, I don't think they fight 24/7.'

Then Kenny gets an idea. Sitting up he looks down on the prettiness that is Charlene and inquires, "Y'know, when you guys and my friends aren't fighting, why don't we go somewhere sometime? You know... just the two of us? Like... like to an ice cream parlor... or maybe a movie... or something. I mean... if it's okay with you that is..."

Charlene sits up in bed and stares at the slightly younger boy, surprise and confusion mixed in her eyes. "Are you... Are you asking me out?"

Kenny shyly turns away from her, his cheeks turning a shy shade of crimson. "I know it must be strange-- A Kid Next Door and a Delightful Child together. My friends thought so, too. But... maybe they wouldn't mind if we're not in the middle of killing each other, huh? Besides, it'd be nice to get out of this big place once in a while, wouldn't it? Especially with someone who likes you a lot."

Now it was Charlene's turn to blush. Unconsciously playing with her sandy blonde locks she replies, "Yes, it would be nice. My siblings and I were thinking of exploring the world since we could hardly ever do much of that at all. Perhaps that is why Naomi has been reading all those books. And..." she smiles, "you _have_ been very kind to me, Kenny... and I really like that."

Kenny smiles excitedly. "Sooooo...?"

"So... I guess... I mean... I suppose... we... could...."

At that moment the knob turns and the door creaks open, and from there emerges...

"Hey Charlene, we were wondering what kind of topping you would prefe--"

The Delightful Children are stunned to see their visitor. A familiar visitor. An unwelcomed visitor. A visitor that is unwelcomed is an intruder!

"YOU!" the four Delightfuls yell at the surprised Kenny. "What are you doing here!? What are you doing in our sister's bedroom!?"

"Um... er..."

"That rude boy must be spying for the Kids Next Door!" scowls Naomi.

"And trying to harm our sister as well!" Brandon scowls as well.

Kenny jumps off and begins his defense, "No, no! I'm not trying to hurt Charlene at all, and I wasn't trying to spy, really!"

"Then _what_ are you doing here, then!?" the four Delightfuls chorus again, angrily.

"Uhhhhhh... I... errr... ummmm...."

"Do not worry," says the soft voice of Charlene, getting up off the bed to reach for something in a hidden spot in her dresser. "This problem will be solved shortly."

"Oh, good..." Kenny sighs with relief, his eyes still fixed on the others. " 'Cause I was really hoping that things wouldn't go--"

An odd-smelling vapor of some sort slithers to Kenny as the sound of spraying is heard. Before Kenny could question it his eyes become heavier and the world around him begins to blur.

"Why do I feel... so.... sleepy?" he yawns. He turns around and finds the girl of his dreams holding a small, hi-tech spray bottle of some sort, pointing directly at him.

"Wow... first... ray gun... now... sleeping spray... Wait... you... sprayed me... no... way....."

And with that he promptly falls to the floor in a state of slumber.

"Good work, sister," Brandon congratulates her, standing over the boy with a sneer. "Thought you could intrude in our home twice in a row and get away with it, eh? That should teach you for messing with the Delightful Children!"

"What are we going to do with him?" Jason the football-helmeted kid asks.

"We have to do something," says Nathan. "He's one of them, after all."

"We could try to teach him some manners," frowns Naomi. "I'd certainly like to."

Brandon scratches under his chin, staring down at the sleeping boy again, and grins. "Siblings... I have a plan. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Charlene watches the scene silently.

* * * * *

"He's been gone for almost an hour now!" yells a rather miffed Numbuh One, pacing back and forth in the living room-type area of the Treehouse. "That's a bit too long for a simple going for a walk in the neighborhood, Numbuh Three."

"Well... maybe it's a really slow walk?" she suggests innocently.

"He's run away to see that prissy Delightful girlie dork, I know it!" shouts the Aussie-accented Numbuh Four, punching his fists together. "Why would he ditch us to see _her_!?"

"Love can do that to a guy, I guess," shrugs Numbuh Two. Numbuh One silently nods in agreement, having experienced the emotion first-hand.

"Numbuh Five suggests you guys calm down," says the red-capped girl. "She's sho' something would turn up."

At that moment a small robotic pod flies into the room. Numbuhs One through Four immediately set themselves for action but Numbuh Five tells them to wait a minute. The top of the strange object opens up, and when it shoots out a navy blue light, a holographic projection of the Delightful Children appears.

"Good evening, Kids Next Door!" greets the Children in their usual monotone and blank stares. The fact that the Kids Next Door now know that they're mostly doing it to spite them irritates them even more.

"What do you creeps want?" demands the leader.

"Ohhhh... We just wanted to inform you that a friend of yours decided to pay a visit..."

Brandon bends down, grabs something and holds that something -- or rather someone, up to the Kids Next Door...

"Kenny!"

"What did you do to him!?" Numbuh Two demands furiously.

"Don't get so uptight. He is only in the middle of the effects of a sleeping spray. He's okay. However, if you want him to _stay_ okay, then you are going to have to meet our demands."

"And what would that be?" inquires the leader with a scowl.

"Oh, nothing much. We just want you to meet us by our favorite playground that is the warehouse we so proudly own."

"Why do a lot of big fights take place in a warehouse?" Numbuh Four wonders. The others simply shrug.

"You have three hours, for we have things to do. So be there!"

Brandon the blonde boy smirks and says in a confident voice, "We'll see who's better than whom for real this time, Nigel boy!"

The aforementioned boy growls furiously as the Delightful Children snicker and then let out a chorus of evil laughter. Though nobody, not even the Children themselves, notice that Charlene appears to be forcing it.

"Can these dorks really be serious?" the Aussie boy wonders.

"Oh, yes, we are serious, very serious. As serious as can..."

Suddenly the ringing of the doorbell is heard and the Delightfuls look to one direction excitedly.

"Pizza!"

As the five dash off-hologram the projection disappears in a quick flash. The other group of kids stare blankly at where the holographic projection was. None know what to say to this, but Numbuh Four sums up their feelings perfectly:

"Those guys... are certified... wackos."

* * * * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Chapter Seven

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Seven

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

An eerie chill, a blurry vision, a bit of a headache... All these are what the rookie is experiencing as he finally wakens from the sleeping spell inflicted on him just a few hours ago. He shakes the cobwebs out of his head to clear his sight. After blinking a couple times he finally discovers his surroundings. A seemingly large-but not-quite-so warehouse. He also discovers something else... he is tied up in a chair, next to some random warehouse objects such as crates.

"Whoa... where am I? I don't usually sleep when I'm tied up."

He struggles to free himself but to no avail. He pauses when he remembers what happened earlier. He and Charlene were talking, then her siblings came into the room... and Charlene sprayed the sleeping stuff on him.

"After all that, she still had me captured. Why?" he wonders. Before he could do some hard thinking on that, he suddenly hears footsteps, gradually coming closer. "Guys? Is that you? Help me out of this!"

"Sorry, Kid Next Door. But I got no plans to do so."

"Oh, it's just you," Kenny mumbles as the blonde boy Delightful Child steps toward him, wearing a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Yes, it's 'just me.' Who were you expecting?"

"Well, I was hoping for Charlene..." Kenny replies quietly.

"She has been real quiet of late. Besides, interrogation isn't her strong suit. And, as you might guess, we have some questions for you."

"Yeah?"

"Such as what were you doing breaking into our home _again_. What were your mission objectives. Is Numbuh One really the big dorko jerk we all think he is. That kind of thing."

"I didn't have a 'mission' this time. I came on my own free will."

"Free will? No mission at all?" Brandon says curiously.

Kenny nods.

"Dangit, what a letdown!" the other boy curses. "I was all set to interrogate you, too! I even had this great idea I saw on TV where you take the nipples and give them a really hard twist... Now I can't do it!"

The rookie looks at him oddly.

"Ah well..." sighs Brandon, "we can still ransom you. I'll make Nigel do something really embarrassing, like... like... polish his own head! Yeah! Hee hee hee..."

And with that he walks off, muttering to himself the whole way. Kenny hangs his head down and sighs.

"This stinks. Here I am, stuck in this darn warehouse and I don't even know where Charlene is!"

Then, as if on cue, Charlene comes into view filing her nails. Apparently she wants to look good in the coming fight.

"I probably shouldn't file them too much," she mumbles, unaware of another presence. "The others might expect me to scratch at someone... (sigh)"

"Don't worry about it, they're fine the way they are..."

"Huh!?" Charlene nearly jumps up as she looks around. "OH! That's where they hid you!"

As Charlene walks up to him he suddenly becomes interested with the floor looking downcast. Charlene, knowing quite well why he's down, shakes her head and leans on a large crate, hands cupped behind her and not looking at the poor, sad rookie beside her. Neither says a word for quite a few minutes. Then, finally, Kenny faces her and lets out his inquiries:

"Why, Charlene? You got me captured back there! What'd you do that for??"

Charlene turns to him and exclaims, "Well, what was I supposed to do!?"

"Gee, I don't know. Talk them into _not_ capturing me?"

"Kenny, I told you before, we Delightful Children and those Kids Next Door are enemies, and as long as we have total opposite causes and beliefs we probably always will be enemies. You may not be an official Kid Next Door but you're still associated with them. And you still trespassed in my own home; your enemies' home. So, in a way, you asked for it."

The boy closes his mouth tightly and does not say another word. 'She's right,' he gripes mentally, 'she's didn't get me captured. I did. I should've escaped while I had the chance... Now look at what I've gotten myself into...'

"Besides," Charlene continues, "if I didn't do it my siblings would become suspicious towards me, and I wouldn't know how to explain it to them without making it seem like I'm betraying. I wouldn't want that kind of trouble. Even if you _have_ been nice to me..."

Kenny stays silent and turns his head away from her, not from feeling anger towards her; he isn't mad at her at all. No, he is feeling the feeling of shame, failure; a feeling that he does not deserve the pretty eyes of Charlene casting on his face.

Charlene stares at him for a moment, then sighs. "I'm sorry, Kenny, but that's just how it is..."

At that moment, Naomi walks into the scene, arms folded and glaring menacingly at the rookie agent. "Sister, the Kids Next Door have arrived. Time to get ready for our little special surprise for them."

"All right," Charlene responds as she walks away. As she does so she turns her head to Kenny, who still looks like he's mentally torturing himself. She sighs as she turns her head away from the poor sight.

When Charlene is away Naomi storms to the boy until they're face to face with each other. Kenny gulps nervously and wonders what she wants. Then, with a "Humph!", Naomi raises her open hand and swiftly swipes across his cheek. A near-earth-shattering *SLAP* and a pitiful "Owwww!" follow immediately afterwards. Naomi, adjusting her glasses, takes a deep breath and narrows her eyes deeper.

"Ooo! Always wanted to do that... you rude, uncultured, bad-mannered," she says five or so more technical synonym words, "and just plain rude _BOY_!"

She lets her hand down and whirls away from him, sticking her nose up in the air with another "Humph!" before walking away prissy-like.

Kenny, a tear of pain sliding down his reddened cheek, looks back up and shakes his head. "I'd probably feel a little more insulted if I knew what half of those words mean."

* * * * *

"Okay, team, we're here!" the British-accented boy announces as they arrive in front of the Delightfuls' large warehouse. "Remember, our priority is to rescue Kenny from the clutches of our enemies, The Delightful Children From Down The Lane. We are on _their_ turf so we would most likely be at a disadvantage. A head-on confrontation would probably not be a good idea."

But despite that prospect the KND ready their 2x4 Technology weaponry and steadily enter the premises.

When they see that it's all clear so far, Numbuh One whispers, "All right, here's the plan. One of us will sneak around and find Kenny and free him. The rest of us will try to buy that person some time by distracting the Delightful Children, if they are near where Kenny is being held up. That person would have to be sneaky... stealthy... and silent...tee... Yeah. Hey, Numbuh Five--"

"Already on it!" And with that she sneaks away and disappears into the shadows.

"Right. Well, the rest of you, let's keep moving."

And keep moving they do. And they continue to wander around until they find themselves in an open space. That's when five familiar and annoying voices is heard through their little ears.

"Welcome, Kids Next Door."

The Delightful quintet emerge from the shadows, all mysteriously wearing navy blue robes with hoods that covers their entire bodies. The Kids Next Door quartet can barely see their faces hidden under their hoods. Though Naomi has her eyes covered, and Jason has his hood down enough that they cannot see his face at all.

They then blink in wonder. "Where is Abigail?"

"Numbuh Five?" Numbuh Two stutters nervously. "She had to... uh... step out for a minute." He turns to Numbuh One. "Right?"

"Er... right," Numbuh One says in an equal manner.

The Delightfuls simply shrug.

"Okay, dorks, we're here," says the KND leader in his normal voice. "Now let's talk about getting back our operative."

"We want our friend back, y'meanies!" frowns the Asian girl.

"Yeah!" the Aussie boy joins in. "What makes you think you c'n just come an' do this?"

"What makes you think Kenny can just trespass in our home and barge into my sister's bedroom?" Brandon retorts.

"Wow..." mutters an impressed Numbuh Two. "Kenny's gutsier than I thought..."

"Kenny tells me you didn't send him," Brandon continues. "If that's so, then would you know why he dared to intrude in our home again?"

The Kids Next Door look to each other, wondering how to respond. "Uhhhhhh..." is all they say.

"Ah, no matter," says the blonde Delightful boy with a little smile. "Nigel, step forward."

He does so.

"If you want that 'rookie' back so much then you will have to do as I say."

"What?"

"Oh, it's real simple. Here, catch!"

He tosses to him a small black bottle. Nigel catches it and inspects it curiously. "Black polish? What, you want me to shine my shades?"

"No, Nigel Uno." Brandon grins mischieviously. "I want you to polish that bald head of yours!"

* * * * *

Unseen by the Kids Next Door, Kenny watches the scene unfold dejectedly. He should be glad that they have come to his rescue, but fear clouds him. How will they react to his recent actions? Would they boot him out? Would they even stay friends?

It is there that he finally notices -- One member of the team is missing. He wonders where she could be.

"Psst... Kenny... can ya hear Numbuh Five?"

Kenny looks around for the source of the whisper. "Numbuh Five? Where are you?"

"Quiet!" says the hushed voice of the dark girl. "Geez, didn't Numbuh Five teach you nothin' 'bout stealth? I'm right behind ya. I can't come out yet or I'll be spotted."

"Okay... But it should be, 'Didn't Numbuh Five teach you _anything_ about stealth.' The way you say it makes it seem like you didn't teach me anything."

"Don't get all grammatical on Numbuh Five now. I may decide not t'untie ya when the fun starts."

As Kenny sits there silently he hears and feels movement on the ropes tied around his hands. "Don't rush, though. I'm in no hurry to see the others," he says sadly.

" 'Cause 'a 'da whole 'goin' to see yer girlfriend against orders and gettin' yerself captured' thing?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Well, I'd like t'say we all make mistakes. But, honestly, this's kinda a biggie. I don't think even Numbuh Four's goofed something up this bad. But even so, Numbuh Five don't think you'll be in too much trouble. Numbuh One'll prolly sympathize."

"I hope so....."

"Look, whatever happens, happens. Right now let's just concentrate on gettin' you out of here so whatever'll happen CAN happen."

* * * * *

"You want me to WHAT!?!" Numbuh One shouts incredulously, ignoring the snickers from his friends.

"You heard me, shine your head a nice, black shine!" repeats Brandon, his grin visible even under the hood. "A shine so shiny I could see my reflection on it! Go on, do it! It will go nicely with your shades."

"No way! Forget it!" He tosses the black polish back to the original owner.

"Well then, I guess you do not want that rookie of yours safely returned to you. Oh well, no matter. Siblings, we wasted enough time; let's get 'em!"

"Uh, wait a minute!" Numbuh One holds out his hand. "Um, why don't we talk for a little bit?"

"About what?" queries the impatient Delightfuls.

"About... mmm... us."

Numbuh Four turns to Numbuhs Two and Three curiously. "What's he doin'?" he whispers.

"Buying Numbuh Five some time," Two answers.

* * * * *

Kenny and Numbuh Five, still undoing Kenny's constraints, listen to the conversation curiously.

"This could get interestin'," the girl comments.

"Yeah."

* * * * *

"You want to talk about 'us'?"

"Yeah. Like... Why do you obey adults? Why do you continously fight us? Don't you know we're fighting for kids? Like you?"

The Delightful Children simply sneer. "Must you do it in such an anarchistic, chaotic way? Children are meant to behave. They are meant to obey and respect their elders. You Kids Next Door do not do that, and are always causing trouble. So it is up to us Delightful Children to keep you brats in line."

"Hey, we don't fight ALL adults, just the bad ones!" Numbuh Two defends. "You know, the ones out to make lives miserable for us kids?"

"They do not mess with us, we are _good_ children! The reason they are messing with you is because of your disrespect and your misbehavior."

"Wrong!" Numbuh Four counters. "Those evil adults we fight make the lives of ALL kids a living nightmare. You remember that Mr. Fizz guy? Yeah, I'm sure you do 'cuz he was the one who once raised the soda-drinking age to 13! If it wasn't for us you wouldn't be enjoyin' yerselves a good soft drink anymore! Am I right?"

"Errr... well..." they stutter.

But Numbuh Two joins into the attack. "And what about Wink and Fibb? Yeah, see, I think you remember the time they made adult swim so long that kids _never_ have a chance into the pool. If we hadn't stopped them you wouldn't get a swim there ever again, now would you?"

The Delightfuls are visibly shaken as they continue to mumble incoherent words.

"Um..." Numbuh Three digs the floor with the sole of her shoe. "I don't have much to say 'cause they took all the good stuff already... 'Cept maybe that part when we were trapped in that kid zoo. Yeah, that's a good one. 'Cause if we decided not to work together we'd all prob'ly still be in there. Right?"

The five blue-eyed individuals become interested with the floor, unable to counter her words.

"You're always too busy mindlessly worshipping all adults," Numbuh One continues, his tone dead serious, "kissing their butts, unaware of the bad things the many evil ones are doing or plan on doing."

Then he unleashes the most devastating attack of all: "A prime example being your own father, who wouldn't hesitate to _murder his own children_!"

"ENOUGH!!" the Delightfuls snap with a force so strong the four Kids take several steps back.

Brandon steps forward and exclaims, "We are quite aware what he was planning to do. Manasa informed us so; we stopped our attack on her when we heard the news."

"That means she _is_ okay..." One whispers to his team, relieved.

"And as for... _him_... Well, I can't say he was such a good guy, either. In fact -- and I'm being brutually honest here -- we couldn't care less for his departure."

"What?" the quartet of Kids gasp. Even Numbuh Five and Kenny nearly made themselves heard with their surprised interjections.

"Yes," Naomi speaks, fiddling with her glasses. "Those horrible deeds Manasa said he was attempting to do -- the massacre of all 'bad' children -- ... Not even _we_ would go that far. He was insane."

"Insane, yes, he was definitely not all there," agrees the tall boy Nathan. "And that man was terrible as a father. He has done some things we do not wish to speak to you about."

"Not to mention he never said a word about our mother," says the sandy-blonde girl Charlene somberly. "We are unsure of her location... or whether she is still alive."

"And so many other stuff," continues Jason, his face still hidden under the hood. "Some father he was."

Brandon sighs. "We hated the things he had done to us, and was going to do to us," he laments. "We hated the things he would not do _for_ us. We just... hated that guy. But... we blindly followed his orders... because we were supposed to be 'good' little children. I guess all that fury and hatred towards him were contained within us. It was only until after his death, and after we discovered the truth about him, that we were finally able to let it all out. We never wanted to see that monster or anything associated with him ever again. So we... got rid of his miserable body and all his little belongings."

"So that s'plosion I saw at your home..." Numbuh Three begins.

"... was us wiping him and his blasted room completely out of existence for good. Now it's only us; WE'RE running the show for now on. Just us Delightful Children. We continue to rejoice over our newfound freedom and individuality. We have absolutely no regrets for the destruction of our father."

The quartet of the Kids Next Door stare in stunned silence. Never before had they ever seen the Delightful Children so emotional. In fact, it is only on a few occasions they showed emotion, period. The Kids do not even bother checking to see if the Delightfuls were making this up, either; the look of their cold, blue eyes inform tell them their words were 100 percent seriousness.

The Kids knew their enemies' father was evil... But so evil he done unmentionable evils to them in the past? The KND begin to wonder if anyone even cared for them before. For the first time ever, the Kids Next Door truly feel sorry for the Delightful Children From Down The Lane.

* * * * *

Back at Kenny Rangsey's location, Kenny, his hands freed, rubs his sore wrists as he watches the scene nearby wonderously.

"Does this happen often?" he whispers to the stealth girl behind him.

"Nope," she replies, her tongue sticking out a little at one side of her mouth as she works on the ropes tied around her friend's legs. "We usually don't talk to each other for this long. We usually go straight to the fight. And man, Numbuh Five never seen them Delightfuls like _that_ before."

"Looks like they're becoming what their dad would never let them be: Themselves."

"You could be right on that. It sometimes makes me wonder if they are really as bad as we thought them to be."

* * * * *

"I see," Numbuh One says, finally breaking the awkward silence. "So you obviously no longer want anything to do with him. Then, tell me this. Why are you still obeying his orders in trying to beat us?"

The Delightful Children stare at him quizzically.

Then Numbuh Three steps into the middle and exclaims, "Yeah, that's right! Why are we even fighting? C'mon, let's stop it. I mean... hey... Why don't you join us!?"

Delightful Children: "Huh!?"

The Other Three KND: "What!?

Five and Kenny (hushed tones): "Eh??"

"Yeah! C'mon, your mean ol' dad is gone now, right? You don't hafta do what he says anymore. We don't hafta fight anymore! You can be Kids Next Door, like us! Yeah, we can beat those bad guys together! And we can be friends... Won't that be great? Huh, huh, won't it?"

The Delightfuls blink many times, almost shocked at her offer. Even the other KND display expressions of surprise. The Delightful Children and the Kids Next Door, working together on a permanent basis? Sure, they worked together before in that kid zoo fiasco... But the Delightfuls nearly got them captured again by the zoo keeper after they were all freed. Trust would become an issue indeed. But now the KND wonder... Could it still be possible? Could they possibly work together and _not_ end up being betrayed?

Their contemplation is interrupted when the Delightful Children answer in a low voice, "We cannot. Not while we are the Delightful Children."

"Then be Kids Next Door!" Three exclaims exasperatedly, throwing her oversleeved hands up in the air.

"You do not understand, Kuki. Even without... _him_... we are still the Delightful Children From Down The Lane. The opposites of you Kids Next Door."

Brandon steps forward again. "Of course, the bit about you disobeying adults and us obeying adults, is only part of the reason for our constant physical exchange. No, I'm afraid it's a bit more personal than that now." He smiles and looks directly at the leader of the team. "We Delightful Children are better than you. And you know it."

* * * * *

"Done." Numbuh Five frees the constraints on Kenny's legs. He nearly jumps up for freedom but Five settles him down in time. "Don't celebrate yet. We still gotta get out of here safely. And that would probably mean going through them Delightful chumps."

"Oh. Well, you better go on, then. I'll stay out of the way."

"What? It would be your second major fight. Don't you wanna join us in beating them down?"

"After what I did today, I don't feel like it... I don't even think I deserve to fight alongside you guys."

"Oh, c'mon Kenny..."

He simply turns his head away with his eyes closed. "I just can't, Numbuh Five. Besides... One of them is Charlene, and I choked when I had my weapon pointed at her. What if it happens again? Who knows what would happen to me... or you... or the others. I'm sorry, but... I think I should skip this battle."

Five sighs. "Well, okay then. You'll be fine over here by yourself?"

Kenny nods.

"All righty. But we get outta here when we get the chance."

She stands, stretching her body and cracking her knuckles for preparedness and from that work she did. As she starts to leave, she looks at her rookie friend again over her shoulder.

"And one more thing. Stop beating yourself up so much over a couple mistakes you made. I'm sure you'll find someway to get back on your feet. I want to see your hyper, excitable self again. So stop destroying yourself, man. ... Rememeber what I said, got it?"

With that she walks away. Kenny watches her as he continues to sit on the chair, his friend's words floating in his mind...

* * * * *

"Better than us?" Numbuh One scoffs. "Ha! Don't make me laugh."

"If anyone should be laughing it's us, considering we got all the toys from that store and you didn't."

"Even so, you're going to have to do a lot better than that to prove your little boasting."

"Oh, we will, we will. In fact, we are going to prove it right at this very moment."

"Hey, don't let me miss out on the fun!"

The kids turn their heads as Numbuh Five skillfully makes acrobatic jumps from the crates and lands beside her team.

"Ah, Abigail, you have returned," the Delightful Children chorus in their monotone. "Finally freed that Kid Next Door trainee, huh?"

She blinks confusedly. "How did you--"

"Well, what else _could_ you be doing? Powdering your nose?"

Five simply crosses her arms and "hmph"s.

"But that is fine. Keeping Kenny Rangsey prisoner was not of any importance anyway. As you probably already guessed, we lured you here so we can fight. But it is going to be a _little_ different this time. You are going to fight... _us_!"

"Oh yeah, that's definitely different," Four snorts with obvious sarcasm.

"But it is, _Wallace_," the Delightfuls smirk from under the hoods of their robes. "No monsters, no robots! And you will not battle us in a huge machine. No, no! Instead, you will battle... the Delightful Children! Yes, for the first time ever, we will fight _each other_ in a hand-to-hand, five-on-five, anything goes combat!"

The Kids Next Door show not a single hint of fear, though. Instead, they snicker. Even Numbuh Three.

"So let me get this straight," Numbuh Two says, trying to contain hysterical laughter. "_You_ are going to... _fight_ us!?"

"Aw man, you gotta be kidding!" snickers Numbuh Four. "I haven't even seen any of y'all walking around on yer own. You're gonna have a hard time beatin' us when we're pounding on all of ya at once!"

Numbuh One, too, finds amusement in this, but tries his hardest to look serious. "Yes, not to mention you have no real battle experience. You relied so much on robots and other villians that I do not think I have ever seen you fight on your own before. It doesn't help that you are unarmed as well..."

The Delightful Childen, however, are unfazed by their enemies' laughter. Instead, they smile. "Think so?"

With that they throw off their robes... And the Kids Next Door's snickers die down. Very quickly.

Over their usual attire, the Delightful Children are wearing serious navy-blue power armor, with accessories that look like they could hurt much. Naomi's glasses are replaced by glowing neon spectacles. Jason's football helmet is instead a strong metallic helmet of some weird kind, which still obscures everything but his eyes. Charlene's pink bow is replaced with a mechanical pink bow with one glowing red orb at each end. Nathan is wearing mechanical gloves that matches quite well with his suit, and the palms appear to be glowing a threatening blue. And Brandon's suit has mechanical wings behind it.

The Kids Next Door gawk as they stare into their enemies' arsenal, then down at their own puny weapons that look like spitball shooters compared to the Delightfuls'. They take a step back as the Delightful Children begin to advance, all with delightful smiles on their faces.

A frantic Numbuh Four can only utter what his friends definitely will agree on. "This is _not_ gonna be easy..."

* * * * *  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....


	8. Chapter Eight

Reloading: Kids Next Door mission...

Operation: R.O.O.K.I.E., Chapter Eight

**R**ookie **O**btains **O**pportunities - **K**ooky **I**ntroductory **E**scapades

Writing Operative: Vtbots

--------------------

Almost immediately, Naomi fires a crimson ray from her neon spectacles that strikes Numbuh Two, sending him sailing harshly into a crate. Before the other Kids can react, Charlene focuses on Numbuh Three and emits from her bow sonic waves that stun the agent, giving the Delightful girl a chance to jump-kick her away from her team. Jason uses his new helmet to rush into Numbuh Four like a battering ram. Nathan focuses on Numbuh Five and unleashes two energy spheres from his super gloves, its impact causing her to hurtle from the group and not have a good landing on her backside.

The four Delightfuls who attacked then separate and continue their punishment against their respective opponents (Naomi - Two, Charlene - Three, Jason - Four, and Nathan - Five). Leaving both Brandon and a worried Nigel alone.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Nigel Uno," smirks Brandon. He snatches a random ray gun that he had hidden in his previous disguise, then extends his mechanical wings and presses a button that ignites some sort of jet pack on his power armor. He hovers over his enemy and laughs. "I have always wanted to spar with you, one-on-one. And now I have the chance. Come, _Dork_ Next Door, let us pent out our frustrations with each other, and FIGHT!"

Nigel ignites his jet boots, arms his SCAMPP, and narrows his eyes from behind his shades. The two lock into an intense staring contest that seem to last hours. Then, finally, Nigel determinedly says, "If it's a fight you want... then it's a fight you'll get! Bring it on!"

And the two opposing forces collide.

* * * * *

As the battle rages on, Kenny watches it from a distance, feeling helpless and still quite ashamed.

"This is my fault," he says somberly. "I got myself captured. Now my friends are getting hurt. What am I gonna do?"

* * * * *

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Kid Next Door!" taunts the spectacled girl Delightful as she fires her ray-powered glasses in random directions, seeking to force Numbuh Two out of hiding.

"That thingy of yours is kinda cool!" Numbuh Two comments from somewhere. "I'm guessing you're the smart one, right?"

"Oh yes, very!" says Naomi a little too confidently. "In fact, I was the one who came up with some of the designs of our various machines, including the Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine." She fires a laser shot when she spots Numbuh Two jump behind a crane machine, but misses. Two pokes his head out and counters with a round from his gumball shooter, and Naomi barely evades every shot.

"You mean that big thing you used to destroy our Treehouse that time? Wow. Hey, I'm pretty good with machinery and vehicles, myself. Hey... If we would stop fighting, you and I could build all kinds of fun stuff together with our smart-kid minds put together. Ya know? Wouldn't that be cool?"

"An interesting offer, Hoagie. But I would have to refuse," says Naomi as she fires another ray from her spectacles, passing just mere inches from the boy's cheek. "Considering we are enemies and all... and that you've been a little too friendly toward girls lately, from what I heard."

"Heh heh! Your loss!" replies the KND pilot as he removes himself from his hiding place and continues his attack.

* * * * *

"Hold still!" growls the tall boy Delightful as he fires more energy balls at Numbuh Five, who skillfully dodges them.

"Your aim is about as bad as Numbuh Two's corny lines; if that's even possible!" taunts the girl as she evades yet another energy shot.

Suddenly, Nathan halts his attack and smiles. Numbuh Five stops her evasive manuevers and looks at him oddly.

"Heh. Smart. Fast. Witty. That's just what I like in a girl." He draws closer to the agent, who backs up a step, aiming her laser-powered soda-bottle gun at her enemy. "Not to mention... pretty good-lookin'. Sure, cute-types like Kuki are all right, but your types... Woo!"

"Don'tcha even try, chump!" Five says, taking a step back. "I know whatcha up to!"

"Oh, do you?" He suddenly leaps at her and grabs her around the waist before she could get a chance to evade him. He lifts her to his level as she tries to struggle out of his grasp; it certainly doesn't help that the boy is taller than she is, either.

Nathan snickers as he eyes her up and down. "Heh heh heh. For a Kid Next Door, you aren't too bad. Too bad I have to destroy you and stuff. Ah well!"

But before he could charge energy into his super gloves to give his enemy a different meaning to the word 'energized,' Numbuh Five takes advantage of the fact that Nathan did not lift her up high enough... giving her the option to give a swift kick to... Well, basically Nathan's reaction to her attack is:

"......!!!" He is unable to utter a word as his face suddenly turns a shade of blue, and he releases the girl from his grasp, collapsing on his knees, groaning in pain.

Numbuh Five leaps a distance away and she whirls and glares at the 'injured' Delightful boy. "Ha. I'd like to see you try to fight now, sucka!"

"How d-dare you!" he squeaks in a helium-pitched voice. He shakily charges up his gloves and unleashes a much larger sphere of energy, hurtling towards his target at a faster pace.

"Wha-oh!" pipes Five as she is met with said attack, sending her flying and crashing into an assortment of warehouse goods. She sits up and rubs her head. "Guess I made 'em a little upset... Man, these guys hit hard."

* * * * *

Numbuh Four would be having a fun time fighting this Delightful dork, if he wasn't so busy dodging the helmeted Delightful boy's ram attack. With a snarl he again lowers his head and charges towards the Kid Next Door. Four barely moves out of the way and Jason ends up ramming his head through the crate instead. He digs his head out and glares at the agent, his eyes reflecting annoyance.

"Stop leaping around so much!" he growls.

"I would if you stop trying to make us play Bullfighter!" the Aussie complains. "Why don'tcha fight me _normally_, huh!? Or are ya just scared of the possibility that I'd kick yer butt?"

Jason's eyes light up. Apparently he must be smiling. "Okay!" he says before delivering two swift blows to the face. Then, while Four is stunned, he plants his helmeted head on Four's midsection then lifts the KND agent high over him. Four goes sailing and he lands in a not so good way unto a shelf. Unfortunately it is a rather weak shelf with random warehouse-type items on it, and all of it come crashing down on top of him.

Shortly after that, an enraged Numbuh Four quickly emerges out of it like a rocket and lunges at the unsuspecting Delightful, and the two get into a chaotic streetfight-like brawl, throwing taunts at each other in-between blows and physical moves.

"Adult suck-upper!"

"Immature brat!"

"Prissy dork!"

"Pretty boy wannabe!"

"Tightwad!"

"Kuki's boyfriend!"

"... Wha!? Why I oughta--!"

And the violent exchange carries on and on and on.

* * * * *

"Will you _please_ stop dancing around!" the bow girl Delightful demands as Numbuh Three avoids another twin laser attack from her new and improved bow, dodging like a ballerina and humming merrily.

"La la la la laaa! WEEEEE!" she squeals as she does a split to avoid another shot, before proceeding in countering with her THUMPER (the half-bazooka thing that shoots projectiles such as teddy bears).

"C'mon, we don't really hafta fight, y'know!" she says, momentarily halting her antics while her annoyed enemy is smacked in the face by the stuffed animals. Charlene merely responds by firing another twin laser from her mechanical bow. Her opponent barely dodges it. "Hey, I said stoooop!"

"Why should I? I'm having lots of fun here. We never had a chance to fight you _ourselves_. It feels good to actually do hand-to-hand combat for a change. Besides, we told you many times why we should destroy you."

"But I know you don't wanna fight, either! Kenny was only trying to be your friend, too, and you guys captured him. That's so mean!" The girl barely dodges another laser and she counters with another shot from her THUMPER.

"Oh?" says Charlene as she dodges the teddy bear. "So you know about... 'us'? Well, don't you worry. He is safe where he's at, unlike his ditzy friend!"

Charlene fires a laser blast from her bow, and Three, unable to dodge, is struck and sent back a few feet by the stinging attack. "Owww, that hurt!" Charlene suddenly charges and grabs the collar of her green sweater. Kuki, aka Three, looks at her opponent confusingly. "What 'ditzy friend'? And I think you better stop trying to destroy us for no reason all the time. 'Cause if you don't..." she points ahead, "he could become just like your daddy!"

Charlene follows Kuki's finger, which traces to her brother Brandon, the short blonde boy. Charlene then whirls her head back around and shakes her roughly. "Don't say that! He's not like Father! Father was a very bad person, and Brandon isn't! Brandon is never going to be like Father."

"But what if he does? After all, your dad wanted to destroy kids like us. Just like you guys are STILL doing right now!" Then she says sadly, "Even with him gone you're still living by his values even after what we said... You _are_ becoming like him!"

At this, Charlene becomes shocked and drops her enemy, shaking her head as if trying to shake Kuki's words out of her mind. "NO! That's not true! We are not going to become like Father!"

"You're already starting to."

"You lie!" Charlene angrily replies.

Numbuh Three frowns. "I'm _not_ lying! I'm telling you, if you keep this up you might b'come exactly like your daddy!" Then she suddenly perks up and says in a sing-song taunt, "Your daddy, your daddy, your daddy!"

"NO!"

But Three ignores her, and starts to dance around still singing her taunt. "Your daddy, your daddy, you're b'coming like your daddy!"

"... Quiet ..." growls Charlene as she slowly starts to become more and more angry. But the other girl continues her singing, her dancing, her taunting... her possibility of being right. Unbelieving of that prospect, Charlene covers her ears, shaking her head, gritting her teeth in anger and perhaps fear. Charlene then finally looks at the girl again and glares. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! I am not becoming like Father! We are not becoming like our Father! We're not! WE'RE NOT!!"

At this she charges up the power of her mech bow to another level and the resulting laser hits Kuki right on the mark, sending her flying to a wall, sliding down with a groaning "Owie..."

"We're not..." Charlene says softly as she charges up her bow again.

* * * * *

Kenny Rangsey watches the brawl worsen before him, each Kid Next Door and Delightful Child tearing each other apart. He turns his head away, feeling ashamed at what he assumes he started.

Then he begins to hear shouting up ahead. He looks up and sees his friend Numbuh Three cornered by an angry-looking Charlene charging pinkish energy into her strange new bow. Kenny sighs again -- Even his crush, the nicest or seemingly nicest Delightful Child, is ripping at his friend. He looks around and watches his other friends, who too are having a bit of trouble with their Delightful opponent. Then he looks back over at Charlene and Three again, feeling concerned for those two the most for some reason. He stays there, unable to do anything, swallowing himself into a pit of shame and disappointment.

'My friends are getting badly hurt. Or something worse could happen to them... And I started this, all because I got captured! If only there is something I could do...'

And at that moment, Kenny suddenly gets an idea and becomes hopeful. "That's it!" he exclaims excitedly. "I know what I got to do to stop this fight! I'd better act now!"

* * * * *

Meanwhile, Numbuh One and Brandon gradually begin to tire themselves out but nevertheless they continue their duel in mid-air. The KND leader smirks a bit as he wipes the sweat from his forehead, hovering in the air in jet boots. "Not bad."

Brandon returns the smirk with a similar gesture, crossing his arms in power armor plus mechanical wings and a jet pack and all. "Not bad? Heh heh. I am a lot better than what you credit me for, Nigel. Maybe I should show you!" He somehow produces a ray gun and begins to fire rapidly at Numbuh One, who frantically dodges the blasts.

"Humph! In case you didn't know, I once kicked all four of my teammates' butts on my own! Unwillingly, of course. And you've beaten how many people? None, right?" He counters with blasts of his own from his SCAMPP, still smirking a little.

"I will admit your fighting skills are impressive," says Brandon as he dodges and blocks the incoming lasers. "You are a good fighter, indeed. But like I have been telling you countless times: I. Am. Better."

And with that he launches toward his sworn enemy and the two of them lock arms into a wrestling hold.

* * * * *

"You _really_ don't want to do this!" the Asian girl warns the bow-headed girl in front of her.

"Oh, yes I do!" the other girl replies as she charges up her bow again. "I'll show you, Kid Next Door!"

But before Charlene could dish out more harsh punishment against her foe she is surprised to feel her bow suddenly being yanked on. The energy from her weapon dies down as she whirls around to discover, of all people, Kenny Rangsey, whose hand was reaching up to try another yank at it, only to sink back down when he realizes he's caught. He smiles nervously.

"Uh... hi."

Numbuh Three would take this opportunity to fire another teddy bear shot at Charlene, but becomes much more interested at the exchange between the two kids in front of her.

The other girl glares at the rookie Kid Next Door, her fists on her hips. "And what do you think you're doing? That isn't very polite to do to a girl."

"I was just trying to take that bow off so you wouldn't hurt Numbuh Three with that laser thingy."

Charlene sighs. "You don't remove my hairbow _that_ way. There's a hairclip attached to it." She turns her head and points to it. "You have to unclip _that_, see?"

"Ohhh, okay. Thanks!" And in one quick move that catches Charlene off-guard he unclips it and swipes that mechanical bow off her head, allowing her hair some freedom as well as disallowing her from firing the bow's lasers at anybody.

"Hey, give that back!" she demands as she tries to reach for it but Kenny hides it behind his back and dodges her attempts to catch him. He would try to look serious if it wasn't for the fact that Charlene looks mighty attractive to him with her hair flowing 100 percent freely like that.

"And let you fry us? Nuh-uh!"

Charlene frowns, but a mix of confusion is there with her frustration. "I thought you did not want to participate in this battle. What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm stopping you from making a big mistake. You guys gotta stop this fight!"

"Why should we? We're at war!"

Kenny turns to his friend. "I thought you'd talk some sense into her."

Three just shrugs and rolls her eyes. "I tried to, but she's too dense to listen..."

Charlene glares at her, then smirks. "Hey, I'm not the dense girl here, _Kooooky_! K-O-O-K-Y, kooky. Kooky Kuki! Get it!?"

"Stop that!" Numbuh Three whines, her eyes becoming doe-like and teary, much like in that episode FAST-FOOD.

Kenny frowns. "See whatcha did?"

"Did what?" Charlene replies, faking innocence. "I just pointed out a funny quirk in this quirky ditz named KOOOOO-KEEEEE!!"

Numbuh Three bursts into tears. "WAAAAAHHHH!! Stop makin' funa my naaaaaaaaaame!"

"NOW lookit whatcha did!" Kenny shouts above his friend's wails. "What's with you, Charlene? I thought you were suppos'ta be the nice, polite Delightful or something!"

"Your friend here dared to say I'm becoming like that ugly excuse of a human, my 'father.' I did not like that, considering my hatred towards him!"

"Well, if you and your siblings keep up with your trying to destroy the Kids Next Door, then Numbuh Three could be right!"

"WHAT!?" Charlene looks about ready to slap him to the pasture.

But Kenny keeps his bold stance and continues, "You guys told us how much you hated him. And in your bedroom you told me how little he cared of you and your siblings, if he even cared at all. But look at this!"

Kenny waves his hand to the other fighters in the battlefield. Charlene follows it and watches her siblings battling out with their enemies. She could clearly see the fight wearing down both forces, particularly the foes'. Nigel Uno and Brandon especially are tearing each other apart.

Having gotten over the insult, the Asian KND's cries die down as she watches and listens to the conversation between the two.

Charlene fumbles for words. "Uh... well... er..."

"I thought you guys said your father's plan to kill all Kids Next Door agents and disobedient children in general was bad!" Kenny continues, his tone becoming more serious. "But it seems he still has his influence on you. Betcha first you'll destroy my friends. Then another Kids Next Door group. And another. And finally... all 'bad' children. Numbuh Three is right... you _are_ becoming like your father."

A long silence follows. Charlene stares down at the ground, the words of both of her enemies seeping deep into her mind, and doesn't say anything for what feels like minutes. She looks up at the other combatants in the distance, then back at the two other kids behind her, who are staring at her curiously. Then she turns away from them and looks to the ground again contemplatively. Then, finally, she lifts her head up and shouts abruptly, "SIBLINGS! STOP FIGHTING!!"

This halts the other Delightfuls from their assault on their respective opponents, turning to Charlene and going "Huh?" This leaves them open for an attack by their opponents, and thus are each met with such. Brandon emerges back on his feet, but instead of charging to Numbuh One again, he instead detracts his armor's wings, smiles one of those "What are you doing?" types of smiles and storms over to his sister Charlene, puzzling the bald-headed boy. The other Delightful Children, wondering what is going on with their no-longer-bow-headed sister and thinking that Brandon will go to check it out, continue their fighting.

When Brandon meets with his sandy-blonde sister he says, still with that smile, "Oh sister dearrrr... Would you mind telling me why you distracted me so?"

"I think we are going about this the wrong way, dear brother! I think it is time we start doing things different than what Father told us to do. Or else we might become just like Father!"

Brandon looks surprised at first, then says sternly, "What did you say!?"

"You heard me! We must stop fighting like this or we'll become like Father."

Suddenly Brandon becomes angry and balls his fists, and states in a very firm and almost threatening manner, "Charlene! You know that is not a true statement! We are NOT becomingwhat Father was like! Especially me! You got that, sister!?"

"Hey, don't yell at her like th--"

"Butt out, rookie!" Brandon smirks. "Heh heh heh. You shouldn't even be here fighting alongside the Kids Next Door, what with your little screw-ups and all."

Kenny turns silent, looking away with a frown. Numbuh Three continues to watch everything with concern.

Brandon continues his verbal attack. "I mean, first you let us get away with all the toys, then you let us lure the Kids Next Door into this trap. And now look-- they are going to be destroyed by our beautiful new weapons! Heh heh heh. I suppose I should thank you, but I am too busy laughing at your pitiful attempts at becoming a Kid Next Door. I almost feel sorry for you. Why don't you return to your real home to your mother or whatever, and continue to cry unto her lap like the weak little crybaby you are... See, you're about to cry again."

"Stop making fun of him!" Numbuh Three defends.

But that isn't what suddenly shuts Brandon up. Nor is it the disapproving frown from his sister. For unfortunately for Brandon, his constant teasing and harrassment reminded poor Kenny Rangsey of those types of mean kids he could not stand from his old school. The types of mean kids he wish would shut up and stop being mean and just be nice. The types of mean kids... that he, as a Kid Next Door, shall fight for the smaller or nicer kids everywhere.

And fight he does. For Kenny suddenly rushes up to Brandon from behind and grabs him in a headlock! Charlene and Kuki both look on surprisingly, and Brandon is so caught off-guard that he does not struggle, adding in more damage from the headlock. The other Kids Next Door happen to look on -- especially Numbuh One, considering he at the moment has no opponent -- and are amazed to see the shy little boy of all people actually attacking the unofficial leader of the Delightful Children.

"Whoa-ho! Cool!" Numbuh Two comments.

"Rookie finally snapped!" adds Four.

"Heh, it's about time," Five finishes. Their respective Delightful opponent take their distraction as an opportunity to get a successful attack in, prompting them to get back to fighting. Numbuh One, looking disappointed that he's not the one giving the headlock, sighs and decides to aid the nearest comrade.

Brandon's momentary surprise wears off and becomes more aware of his position. He smirks and says snobbishly, "Ooo, I made the little crybaby mad. I'm soooo scared, eeee hee hee hee!" In his normal voice he says, "Do you have any idea who you are messing with, Kid Next Door trainee? I am Brandon! I am Delightful! I have the goods," he points to his power armor, "and you have the... uh... bads!"

Kenny retains his hold and glare. "I've got the bads all right, and he's right in my arms! Now feel the wrath of my noogies!" And with that he begins to apply some very rough noogies, being cheered on by his friend Numbuh Three. Even Charlene finds herself smiling for him.

"Why you! Unhand me you... you... GRRRR!"

He suddenly extends his mechanical wings again, causing Kenny to break his hold and be sent back a few feet. Brandon gets up and glares at him. Then he smirks a bit. "Heh heh, all right, you got me there, I'll admit. But still, after what you did I doubt you would be accepted as a Kid Next Door now. Assuming your friends are around long enough to boot you out, that is."

Kenny huffs and turns his head away with his arms crossed.

"But brother," Charlene says, "if we destroy the Kids Next Door, we would--"

"Don't start with that again."

"But I am serious. Listen, we hated _him_ because of his past deeds toward us, and for his overly evil and insane plan. But look at us: we are actually acting upon his evil, insane plan. The plan that even we just openly protested earlier. Do you remember? I did not see this, until Kenny and his friend Kuki opened my eyes. If we act upon this... if we 'kill' the Kids Next Door... then slowly but surely, we would someday become like... that man. From abusing our own children, to not giving them any kind of love... to murdering all children who merely were disobedient or disrespectful to adults."

Brandon stays silent for about a minute, then closes his eyes, sighing heavily. "So... doing what we're all doing right now is what would make us become like Father, huh. That... fiend..."

With a sigh, he turns to the other tiring fighters and, taking a deep breath, he wristles so loudly that it halts the action of both Kids Next Door and Delightful Children.

"Crickey! What gives?" Numbuh Four wonders, having just putting his foe, the helmeted Jason, into a leg submission move.

"Huh? What's the problem, Brandon?" asks Jason, who was about to counter with his own submission manuever.

"Raise your hand if you wish to become like our... Father!" he spits out.

Immediately his siblings display gestures of surprise and disgust.

"WHAT?" replies Nathan, the tall boy. "Are you mad? I'll never become anything like that man!"

"Neither do I!" says Jason.

Naomi crosses her arms and frowns. "If you think I will become like that manifestation of insanity and evil... you are acorns!"

"You mean nuts," Numbuh Two corrects.

"Whatever. Brother, why are you asking us this?"

"I ask because our sister Charlene... and this kid, Kenny, think that our attempt in destroying the Kids Next Door for doing what they do, makes us become like... him."

Naomi's face softens to that of concern. "Really? Well, uh, it does make some sense. I mean, it doesn't feel right to destroy the Kids Next Door just because they're uncouth heathens."

"Huh?" Numbuh Two pipes.

"Yes!" agrees Nathan. "I feel the same way about fighting these disheveled urchins."

Five responds, "Yeah! .... WHAT?"

Jason shrugs. "I guess we cannot blame them for being brain-dead anarchists, anyway..."

Numbuh Four scratches behind his blonde head, turning to his friends. "Why are we standing here letting ourselves be insulted?"

Charlene then adds, "As I said before, if we wish to never be like that person, then perhaps we should do things differently... That is, not the things that Father would do."

Brandon the short boy nods his head at each of his siblings. "So we as the Delightful Children do not wish to destroy the Kids Next Door and consequently become our former father? So be it."

With that he detracts his armor's wings again and puts away his ray gun. Naomi nods and removes her laser-powered glasses. Charlene takes back her bow from Kenny but does not put it back on. Nathan removes his super gloves. Jason does nothing with his helmet.

"Hey, are you guys saying what Numbuh Five thinks you're saying?" she inquires.

"... Yes," Naomi answers. "If we do not wish to be like our Father, then perhaps we should no longer try to kill you Kids Next Door."

Numbuh One looks a bit puzzled. "You won't try to destroy us anymore? You're going to stop? Just like that?"

"Yes," Brandon responds, walking up to the leader of the other group of kids. "Killing you would no longer be a priority for us, as doing so could lead to insanity and misery like a certain someone. BUT!" He holds up a finger, smirking. "That doesn't mean we won't want to kick your posteriors, either."

"Oh! Well, we'll be waiting for our next battle soon, wherever it may be. Just remember that the Kids Next Door will never stop resisting against any injustice from grown-ups or goody-goodies like yourselves."

"Sure, sure. Just as long as you remember that the Delightful Children will be there to stop your own disruptive ways as well. So long as it's not in the middle of our favorite TV programs, that is."

There is a pause. Then, the short Delightful boy turns his head halfway, appearing a little flustered, before he extends his hand forward. Numbuh One looks at it questioningly.

"Anyway, um, let us shake on it," says Brandon, turning his head back to the other boy. "Let this be a declaration of... I don't know, something where we're not out-for-blood-enemies-but-not-exactly-friends-either sort of thing."

One looks at his hand for a few moments, pondering whether or not to accept the hand shake. He glimpses to make sure Brandon isn't wearing a joke buzzer. Then, nodding, he says, "Okay, let's! We're still grumbling rivals but now we can come into an understanding with this."

And so he extends his own hand and the two opposing boys now turned rivals make with the handshake, surprising but drawing slight relief from all the other kids including the other Delightfuls. Even Numbuh One and Brandon smile a bit. But Brandon, grasping his rival's hand firmly, draws him closer to himself, and says, "Just remember. We probably won't try to kill you anymore, but we would still hit your posteriors constantly with our feet -- that is, kick your butts --" he adds, glancing at Numbuh Three, "what with us being different groups with different values and all that. I think simply kicking butt would be much more fun anyway. Don't you agree, Nigel?"

"Definitely!" smirks the KND commander. "As long as it is your butts being kicked by us!"

"Heh heh, we shall see, Nigel," laughs Brandon, producing a remote from his pocket. "We shall see."

He presses a button and almost immediately a noise that sounds like engines running is heard from outside. The Delightfuls exit the warehouse, followed by the Kids Next Door who make absolutely no attempts at back attacks, and the adult-fighting group find a large dark blue flying machine of some sort hovering slightly above the group.

Brandon turns to the Kids Next Door and says, "This fight is a draw. But let me assure you that somehow, someday, we will show you just how we Delightfuls are superior to you Kids Next Door! I eagerly await the day when we defeat you and prove it." He turns to the Kids' leader. "By the way, you ought to thank Kenny Rangsey for making us see the light. Had he not intervened who knows what we would have done to you. Heh heh. Too bad he would be out of your group because of his past mistakes... Ah well."

Kenny turns his head away sadly as each Delightful Child board their ship, with each Kid Next Door watching them intently. Charlene lags behind a little to glance at Kenny with sympathetic eyes before following suit. When all of them are on board the ship begins to lift off with the engines rumbling more actively. As it does, though, Charlene emerges at the window, looking down at Kenny, who stares back curiously. After a moment, Charlene smiles and waves and mouths a "Thank you...." before the ship blasts into the nightly horizon. Kenny smiles and blushes a little, feeling that certain sense of warmth that he's been having at her presence suddenly increase two- or maybe threefold, and he waves back shyly.

His blush and embarrassment level also increases two- or maybe threefold when Numbuhs Two and Four begin to sing that certain infamous taunt around him.

* * * * *

Later that night -- the time where normal kids would be in bed right now -- the Kids Next Door plus the rookie Kenny meet at the command center (the one with all the computers and stuff and a circular couch thing at the center), Numbuhs Two through Five sitting on the couch, curiously watching Numbuh One at the podium, speaking to a nervous Kenny below him.

"Kenny Rangsey, Kid Next Door trainee... Your actions earlier today were... not very pleasing."

Kenny stares down at the floor in shame.

"You let our arch-enemies -- or rather, our archrivals get away with every toy at our nearest toy store..."

Kenny turns his head away. Numbuh Three opens her mouth to protest but Five holds up a hand in front of her before she could say anything.

"You ditched the Treehouse without telling anyone, intruded into enemy territory, and got yourself captured..."

Kenny's nose twitches and his eyes become watery.

"Your capture allowed the Delightful Children to use you as bait, luring us into their own 'playground' where we were nearly destroyed by their latest weapons!"

"I know, Numbuh One, I know!" Kenny bursts in sorrow and shame. "I know it was all my fault and I've done some really big screw-ups! So, just out with it already. Boot me out and send me away from the Treehouse!"

"Hold on, Kenny, I'm not finished yet," says the leader, still retaining his usual serious expression and tone.

Kenny gulps and beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead. The other agents scoot near the edge of their seats. The commander adjusts his shades, still looking down at the rookie seriously as he continues.

"Those mentioned actions did cause quite a bit of trouble, Kenny.... But who said anything about booting you out of the Kids Next Door?"

Kenny looks up, blinking. "Huh?"

Numbuh One's tense body suddenly relaxes and his face softens. "Despite all that, you still pulled through in the end. You didn't give up, and you managed to save our lives, albeit in an interesting way. That kind of perserverence, Kenny, definitely earns you lots of bonus Kid Next Door trainee points..."

The leader smiles and takes something from inside the podium. He then leaves the podium carrying a small bag, stepping down from the stage and approaching the trainee. Kenny looks at him curiously as the leader of the Kids Next Door draws near him.

"The traits you have shown this past week and especially this day is certainly official Kid Next Door material."

"H... huh?"

The other Kids Next Door are just as surprised and excited as Kenny is, as they scoot even more to the edges of their seats in anticipation. Numbuh One continues to smile as he digs through his little bag and pulls out a pin with what looks like a small badge or medal of some sort. The actual medal is a medium-sized bottlecap, made specially so that it doesn't bend or anything like that, with the Kids Next Door logo imprinted on it.

"Okay, so you may still be a little rough around the edges. But a little more practical experience will certainly help you become a great Kids Next Door operative, Kenny. Congratulations."

The gang makes cheery gestures as their leader puts the medal on the trainee-turned-official, overcome with so much ecstasy he stands there speechless. He touches the smoothness of the medal and looks down on it pinned to his shirt. A single tear rolls down his cheek, staring incredibly at the KND symbol.

"Wow... This is... I mean... I don't know what to say... I'm... I'm a real Kid Next Door. Me, Kenny Rangsey... a Kids Next Door operative. This is... so incredibly uber-cool."

"Yep, you ain't no rookie anymore, Ken," says Numbuh Four, smiling proudly at him. "Well, okay, you're still sorta a rookie at this business, but you're technically an official now."

"Now you can do all the stuff that WE can do!" Numbuh Three announces gleefully.

"Yup, that includes access to more Kids Next Door information, weapons, and my awesome lines!" adds the pilot Numbuh Two with a thumbs up.

The dark girl smirks. "Feel sorry for you about Numbuh Two's lines thing, though."

Two raspberries at her, crossing his arms.

Numbuh One nods his head and says, "Of course, being an official Kid Next Door means you would need a 'Numbuh,' like us. So, from this day on, your codename is Numbuh--"

Suddenly Kenny holds his hand up. "It's really cool that you guys feel I deserve to be an official Kid Next Door. And I'm glad at that, and would love to take it. But... I can't."

Almost instantly all the original members express gestures of surprise and wonder. He always wanted to be a Kid Next Door. In ad lib they ask why the sudden change of mind.

"I honestly don't really know. Maybe I feel I'm not ready yet. Maybe I still need a bit more training. Maybe it's the thought of having to hurt someone I like..."

"It's about Charlene, too, huh?" asks Five after his last statement.

Kenny shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. But I just feel I'm not up to becoming a real Kid Next Door yet, even though I really want to. Sorry, but I'll have to decline official membership, at least for now."

"Hmm, well, that is quite all right, Kenny. Many operatives have felt they weren't ready for the kid force," says and nods Numbuh One, sagely. "But many of them do return when they finally feel up to it. Usually within a month. A couple weeks. Or even the next day."

"Yeah," adds Numbuh Two. "Being a Kid Next Door is kinda rough, so we don't blame you if you don't feel like becoming one yet."

The remaining agents make similar expressions of agreement.

"O'course, the pros _do_ outweigh the cons," finishes Numbuh Four with a slight smirk. "But still, anytime yer ready, we'll be waitin'. Just don't take too long -- no one's a kid forever, y'know..."

"Thanks, guys," says Kenny, facing them all. "And don't worry. I'm sure I'll come back and become official. You can count on it."

"Oh, no!" the Rainbow Monkey-lover girl suddenly bursts in a huge expression of disappointment. Everyone turns to her. "This means we can't have an initiation party. I was really lookin' forward to it, too..." She sinks low in her seat with a disappointing sigh and crosses her arms.

Kenny smiles apologetically and digs the sole of her shoe on the floor, unsure of what to say to make her feel better. But Numbuh One smirks a bit, lowering his shades making his keen eyes fully visible. "Now then, I wouldn't go _that_ far. Instead of an initiation party, how about, uh, a 'going-away-then-maybe-coming-back-for-initiation kind of party?"

Numbuh Three instantly leaps up, clapping her hands ecstastically. "Yay! Going-Away-Then-Maybe-Coming-Back-for-Initiation Party!" she squeals in one breath.

And so the group sets off to prepare things for the said party, deciding that it would be held the next day since they would probably fall asleep or get no sleep if they start tonight. And everyone once in a while giving Kenny gestures of approval such as a pat on the back or ruffling his brown semi-spikish hair. The official-turned-trainee blushes slightly and scratches behind his head from all the extra attention he is getting.

* * * * *

And the next morning, the party (which was shortened to the Going Away Party because "it's killin' on the tongue") begins. There were, of course, balloons -- tied-dyed balloons, which Numbuh Three ordered since those were the colors Kenny told her he liked. Instead of a cake Kenny has a large cupcake, with the letters "KND" frosted on it.

Besides cake and ice cream, several playings of video games, and a little game of "Pin the Tail on the Adult," each of the agents decide to have a little chat with their friend, this being his last day with them for a while and all. They basically wish him luck and say they would miss him and other things, though Two does tell him about the time he turned himself into a teenager and came so close to winning Cree Lincoln, older sister of Abby (Numbuh Five), but alas it was not meant to be. He begins to lament at the memory of the moment where Cree attacked his friends and thus had to choose between them or her, but it soon goes away almost immediately when Numbuh Five walks by. Grinning, he sneaks behind her and playfully wraps his arms around her waist, saying something that could only come from someone like Numbuh Two. Not surprisingly, he is pushed away and met with a bonk on the head.

Soon the party comes to a close and the original operatives prepare to bid Kenny a temporary farewell from their team. Numbuh Two ignites the engine of their flying bus, volunteering to give Kenny a ride since Kenny has so much stuff he has to carry. When he finally finishes loading his things into the vehicle with the help of the pilot, he returns to the gathered operatives.

"Just remember, Kenny, whenever you feel you're ready you're more than welcome to come back to us," says Numbuh One. But then he starts to look a little nervous. "Unfortunately I cannot see you off. I have, uh, somewhere to go." The kids turn to him as he scratches behind his bald head. "Kenny, remember that Lizzie girl I told you about before? Well, uh..."

"Oh, NIGEEEEEEY! It's time to go on our picnic!"

Kenny looks out the window to see the red-headed girl from the photo Numbuh One showed him, standing on the ground below carrying a picnic basket with a blanket inside over her arm.

"Hey, you're not Nigel!" she calls up to the strange new boy wearing a tie-dye shirt. "Tell my Nigey to come down here right now, will ya!"

The kids suppress their snickers to little avail as a blushing Nigey rings his finger around the collar of his red sweater.

"Er, gotta go! See ya, Kenny!" And with that he takes off to the ground level of the Treehouse Headquarters.

"Oh yeah, Kenny, I forgot something!" says the Aussie as he runs off to his room. Moments later, he comes back carrying, "The toy bat you used durin' your training. Just thought you can have it."

"Wow, really? Thanks!" Kenny gratefully accepts the gift, twirling it around skillfully. "Hey, it even has the Kids Next Door symbol on it!" he says excitedly as he discovers the new detail near the tip of the plastic weapon.

"Yep, I put that one in myself. You really know how to handle that thing, ro-- uh, Kenny. Betchoo'll find some kinda use for it someday."

Numbuh Five then brings her arm around Kenny's shoulder, playfully ruffling his hair with the other hand, smiling. "Guess this's so long for now, huh?" Then she leans into his ear. "Numbuh Five is flattered you think of her as a sista, but don't spread around too much, 'kay? It's a little embarrassin'."

"Sure, whatever," replies the boy with a smile as he brings her close with one arm. "Miss ya, sis'!"

"D'oh..." she groans as she lowers her cap over her face. "What did Numbuh Five jus' tell ya?"

"Um... I hope you come back again soon, Kenny," says Numbuh Three with her hands behind her back. "You were really fun... an' really nice... and... Ohhhh!" She wraps her oversleeved arms around his neck. "I just hope you come back soon, okay?"

"I'm sure I will. An'... uh, I guess we can have another tea party, too," he says semi-reluctantly.

"YAAYYY, tea party!" she squeals, clapping her hands in glee.

Numbuh Two turns to the shy boy, raising an eyebrow. 'I would seriously like to know how he easily gets those girls around him,' he muses.

And so the time has come for Kenny Rangsey to leave the Treehouse and the team. He embarks on the flying bus and then looks out from one of the windows, waving to the team minus Numbuh Two, who is seated in the driver's seat. The others return the wave and say their goodbyes as the engine stirs and roars, and the bus blasts off into the daytime horizon.

Kenny will miss being a Kid Next Door, even if he was only a trainee. But he knows that someday he will be ready, and when he is he will officially become part of the greatest organization he has ever known.

As he thinks of the many things official agents get to do, he suddenly has a thought. "Hey Numbuh Two. Can we make a couple stops before we go to my house?"

* * * * *

At the home of the Delightful Children From Down The Lane...

Brandon finally decides to take Jason's advice to take a break from besting the Kids Next Door, including his new rival Nigel Uno. So he kicks off his shoes and sits back comfortably on the couch watching cartoons with his brothers, who are seated in a similar manner.

The sisters, meanwhile, are having a little conversation in the reading room.

"So is it true?" Naomi asks, adjusting her glasses. "That Kenny Rangsey boy likes you? As in, really likes you?"

Charlene nods, blushing slightly.

"Hmm. Interesting. A Kid Next Door and a Delightful Child. Never thought I would see the day." She pauses for a moment and her curiousity gets the best of her. "Do you... feel the same way about him?"

The bow girl becomes interested with the floor. "I'm not sure... I did felt really nice and warm inside when he was so nice to me that night. I don't think I've ever felt anything like it before. I wasn't sure whether it means I have special feelings for him... or somebody was playing with the central air/heating device."

"Hmm. Well, if you do, then it's okay with me, even if he is a Kid Next Door. But I do hope you are able to teach him a few manners... before I smack him upside the head again."

Charlene smiles. "Sure. Thanks, Naomi."

Naomi nods a 'No problem' and is about to grab a book to return to her favorite hobby, when she pauses. Shrugging, she exits and goes back to the living room to join her brothers, deciding it would be nice to take a break from reading.

"Perhaps I should join my siblings," Charlene says to herself. "But I'd like to do that wearing my favorite slippers."

So she journeys upstairs to her bedroom. When she opens the door she gasps. There on her bed is a cube-shaped gift-wrapped box. She feels a slight breeze and looks over to discover the window is opened. She looks out and manages to see what looks like the Kids Next Door's aerial bus vehicle blasting off into the distance.

She then turns back to the unusual box on her bed. It has a tag attached to it, that reads "To: Charlene, From: Guess Who"

'Should I open it?' she wonders. 'Maybe it's a trap, a prank of theirs so they'd have a good laugh. But what if it isn't?' She approaches the box and ponders. Then she shrugs. 'There's only one way to find out.' So she opens the present... and gasps again. There inside the box is the thing that she had always wanted from her father...

A cat plush.

With shaky hands she removes the content of the box, holding it before her. It isn't her imagination... it really _is_ the new cat plushie she saw at a toy store one day. Her eyes become watery and a tear of joy slides down her cheek. She rubs her eyes with her wrist, which is then she notices something else inside the box.

A letter. She takes it and reads:

__

Dear Charlene,

Well, looks like I didn't get in trouble. Instead they felt I deserved to become a real Kid Next Door! But I decided not to take it. I dunno why but I feel I'm not up for it just yet. Maybe someday. Oh well. Oh yeah, the main point of this letter. I'm guessing you saw your present already. That's the toy you wanted so bad, right? Well, had to look at the other toy store; ya know, the one you guys didn't wipe out. That thing cost a lot, cleaned my pockets off, but I really don't care. Can you believe it was the last one? Either they sell a lot, they're pretty rare, or it just happens to be the last one to make me buying it seem more dramatic... Anywayz, hope you like your gift from me to you. Can't wait for the next time we get to see each other.

- Kenny

Charlene barely even reads the signature. Her joyful tears obscure her vision but she cares not. She hugs her gift, her wonderful gift tightly. She stares out the window, smiling happily.

Those feelings, those strange yet cozy feelings she felt when that shy yet sweet boy consoled her and gave her a great, comforting hug in her time of need, return.

And stronger than ever.

* * * * *

END TRANSMISSION


End file.
